《Magician's Hill》


 CH1 Wrong Stop

    Rain stuck the windows as I sat in the caf¨¦. This was going to be my final day in this city and while I was happy to be finally able to leave, a small part of me was going to miss this place.


    Oh sure the roads were dark at night, the rent was a pain to deal with and of course the unmentionable problems that this city dealt with was a pain to deal with when they became your problem whether you liked it or not.


    Of course the same could be said about any city that had more than one resident¡­ I sort of hoped things weren¡¯t as bad in other cities as they were with this one, but my friends claimed that every city pretty much ran into problems like these. The question was just a matter of how well they hid it and how prominent the threats had become.


    Then they would fall back into joking about ¡®Hey. At least the streets are clean and the trains run on time¡¯ as if it was all one big joke.


    ¡°Are you sure about this? I mean it¡¯s going to be a long trip.¡± Jack replied, breaking me from my thoughts as I looked over at him.


    Jack was the person in charge of the caf¨¦ as in he was the literal owner of the place for better or for worse. Today was one of those better days since he didn¡¯t have to deal with his more select clientele and nobody was banging on the door or trying to do something foolish. You¡¯d think there was a limit to human stupidity, but there were some people who simply took that as a challenge to do better/worst.


    I wasn¡¯t one of those uniquely challenged people¡­ I simply lacked genre awareness.


    Jack who again was a nice person and this kind of had to be stressed that he was the type of nice person who would help somebody out if they were in trouble. Most people couldn¡¯t look past the fact that he looked more like a heavyweight fighter in an illegal fighting ring.


    So most people found it a bit of a surprise that he was the owner of the caf¨¦ and also knew his way around a kitchen along with one of those insanely complicated and expensive coffee makers that people seemed to love getting coffee from.


    In short he was the type of person that was hard to forget while I was the exact opposite.


    I was average in the painful way that meant there were a dozen other people who could fill my place should something happen to me¡­ and the only unique thing about me wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d brag about either.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here long enough and it¡¯ll probably be a good thing that I¡¯m leaving.¡± I glanced at him as we both knew it ¡°I mean we both knew this was going to be a temporary thing. I was just supposed to help pay for the rent until things got better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Cassy was thinking of another apartment instead of well... you know.¡± Jack replied shaking his head as he started taking down some of the balloons ¡°We never actually¡­ thought that you¡¯d leave. I mean leave, leave.¡±


    Truth be told I had planned on leaving this place a lot sooner, but things always kept getting in the way. Sometimes it was just trying to get the money together for rent since sleeping in my car wasn¡¯t a thrilling thought much less trying to scrape the money together to fix it when something broke.


    Of course the few times it felt like I got rid of the little problems that kept me from leaving¡­ life would throw a literal problem that had indeed literally kept me from leaving. Storms, flat tires, pissed off mafia members doing a drive by shooting.


    You¡¯d be surprised how creative life interred to the point that it had become a running gag or joke¡­ that one day I was going to leave this place only for something to throw a wrench in the plan and forcing me to be stuck here with friends instead of trying to leave the city.


    Now that it was officially happening¡­ a few people were having a hard time believing it. Of course people still came to the farewell party because free food and booze was pretty good incentives for most people to attend.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m always hiring. I mean the pay¡¯s good, you¡¯ll get a roof over your head and¡­¡± He tried to figure something else.


    If this was a cartoon or a TV show then there would be the brief hiatus where you¡¯d think I would be gone for good only to show up again at the start of the next season because something happened. Real Life wasn¡¯t like TV as sometimes when somebody left¡­ they actually left.


    There was also a slight understanding that¡­ leaving would be good for me. Sure it might be nice to stay longer, but we both knew the truth. It may have been delayed countless times, but this time I was bidding this city goodbye.


    He shook his head in defeat ¡°Well I think I might actually might miss you¡­¡± He paused before smirking ¡°Despite the utter pain in the keister you¡¯ve been Dais.¡±


    The old nickname still annoyed me, but I could be the bigger man and let it slide this time. After all, I wouldn¡¯t see him or anyone else from this town after today. We both knew the real reason why I was leaving.


    Glancing back at the car I heard Jack say ¡°Most people will expect you back by tomorrow¡­ when they realize that you actually left¡­¡±


    ¡°They will probably think I¡¯ll return by the end of the week.¡± I reminded him ¡°Just another ¡®false start¡¯ before everyone pats my back and say ¡®better luck next time¡¯ as everything goes back to normal.¡±


    ¡°You know Cassy won¡¯t like it¡­¡± Jack spoke under his breath ¡°Especially not like this.¡±


    I nearly rolled my eyes as Cassy had already gone through a similar discussion with me except I managed to convince her why I was doing it.  She wasn¡¯t born in this city and she still had family out there¡­ Jack on the other hand never really got along with his family and he was also born within this city to boot.


    ¡°You know looking back at where you came from always seems much more grand than what it actually was.¡± Jack spoke trying to pull his last trick ¡°I mean¡­ it won¡¯t nearly be as interesting as this city.¡±


    Closing my eyes I knew this was coming as¡­ for all the hate and various problems that came with this crazy city¡­ I¡¯ll admit that it was always interesting¡­ it felt like I was somebody instead of a random number¡­ a statistic written on a sheet that would live, grow old, and die without ever seeming to make a difference.


    Here I was somebody¡­ grant it not everybody liked me and there were quite a few people who didn¡¯t like me.  I was also under no illusion that I could change anything here¡­ but it felt like you could be more than what you actually were. That was the charm of this place¡­ the senseless hope and optimism you felt living here!


    It was like a gambler taking up the dice one more time.


    And just as dangerous too.


    A bitter smile came across my lips as the joke kind of stung a little in hindsight. Of course nobody knew who I was when I came here¡­ and nobody cared who I was after I got stuck here. I was just another idiot shaking the dice and trying to see if they roll out box cars when everyone knew it probably would happen.


    The funny thing was that meaningless past was only important to me¡­ and yet that was the force that had driven me for so long.


    Opening my eyes and glancing out the window I saw the tallest skyscraper off in the distance¡­ it was hard not to see it if you knew where to look as the massive spire towered over the city. Jack saw where I was looking as he tried not to look, but he knew the reason for it¡­ both of us knew the unspoken reason for why I was actually doing it this time.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± I asked trying to remember how the old song tune went ¡°The Spire stands clawing up to the sky, trying to reach what it cannot find.¡±


    ¡°And down from the heavens come crashing its wrath for mankind has touched what it should not have seen.¡± Jack replied with a bitter smirk as he held his hand high like an opera singer ¡°And with the sight now unseen, what lurks behind your mortal eyes unseen can now see thee.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    We both glanced at each other and laughed even if it was a bitter laugh as we spoke at once ¡°Oh what fools we must be! To see what must not be seen, and call forth the curse, yet think it a blessing nonetheless! For all to see!¡±


    He shook his head ¡°You finally got it. Of course it¡¯s when you are leaving that you finally sound like a regular resident here. It just¡­ it just feels like I should be leaving while you¡¯re the one that should stay. You fit here far better than I ever did.¡±


    That got a laugh out of me as I looked straight at him ¡°I¡¯m sorry but who had a nearly fatal encounter with a hobo?¡±


    I motioned around the empty cafe and shouted ¡°Raise your hand if you were the idiot to make the mistake of not catching genre awareness!¡±


    I raised my hand as he muttered under his breath, probably about me catching on later or how I would have realized the truth if I was a little bit more aware of my situation. Still the funny thing was that he did fit in with this city better than I did.


    I stood out simply because I was still alive¡­ sort of like a red shirt who by some odd twist of fate didn¡¯t die at the end of an episode. That didn¡¯t make the red shirt any better than the crew¡­ but just the unique oddity of simply not dying when all the others did.


    Grabbing my namesake red rain jacket I got up from my seat and walked over to the red car outside as the rain had finally stopped. They called me a red shirt and I wore it both in acceptance¡­ and mocking them for failing to kill a basic red shirt!


    Maybe I could have stayed longer¡­ but this place just wasn¡¯t for me. I mean I was thankful for the people here¡­ correction¡­ I was thankful for some of the people here, but it was time to go back home now or try my best to do so.


    Getting into my car and turning on the ignition. The only thing that tried to stop me was seeing Jack came out with one last package ¡°Well I tried. Here¡¯s the final gift.¡±


    Opening up the box was a small six shot revolver and a few bullets. It was an antique of a gun, but the message was kind of clear between the two of us. The only problem was which message he was trying to send me.


    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d need a gun?¡± I asked him out loud


    He stared at me for a few seconds before rubbing his chin ¡°Do you remember what happened when you first got here?¡±


    I raised my hand without sulking¡­ seriously if anyone claimed I did then they were lying. Anyone else would have¡­ okay some people would have made the same mistake, but it didn¡¯t answer the question on why he gave me this gift.


    After all not many people give you a gun when you are leaving or getting ready to go back home. The fact that I only learned how to properly shoot and maintain a gun after I came here showed just how¡­ less likely you were to get attacked back home than in this city.


    ¡°Just look at it this way.¡± He spoke with a grin ¡°It¡¯s something you can put on display at home and remember this place for all the good or ill. You were here and we won¡¯t forget you even if you leave.¡±


    That actually got a chuckle out of me as this was the bit I was going to miss. People may be jerks¡­ they may be annoying¡­ but there are always good people out there who can help you make the best out of a bad situation.


    ¡°Oh and just to be clear¡­ Cassy likes you instead of me.¡± I informed the now dumbstruck Jack before pulling away leaving him with the final bombshell for why I was going.


    Oh sure the apartment was nice and we split the bill three ways¡­ but Cassy liked Jack and I didn¡¯t want to be the third wheel in the apartment. Jack did like her of course, but he thought he didn¡¯t stand a shot and wanted to keep their friendship rather than risk it on trying to get a date.


    Now that he knew¡­ he had no excuse not to ask her out and it was nice watching him walk back into the caf¨¦ trying to figure out how to ask her out¡­ and questioning if I was just messing with him for one last time. The promise of course would be that he¡¯d come after me if I was lying.


    I opened up my phone and decided to save us both the trouble ¡°Hey Cassy just wanted to know I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Do you have it?¡± She spoke in a hushed tone


    Glancing at the backpack resting underneath the passenger seat confirmed it was still there. It felt foolish just leaving it in my car where anyone could simply break in and steal it¡­ but sometimes the best defense for something important was¡­ simply not letting anyone else know about it.


    ¡°Yes, but I just informed Jack about the other reason why I decided to leave.¡± I informed her.


    ¡°You mean Akara?¡± She asked with a hint of dread


    ¡°No I mean about how you like him and him liking you!¡± I informed her only to hear her start to panic a little in the ¡®my crush knows about my crush¡¯ type of panic you saw only on the foolishly naive ¡°So neither of you have an excuse now that I¡¯m out of the apartment. Have fun!¡±


    I hung up the phone as that was a load off my back. It was better this way¡­ and I¡¯ll admit that at that moment it would have been nice if she liked me instead of him, but genre blind I may be¡­ watching two people have a crush on each other and not saying it because they didn¡¯t want to harm their friendship?


    That got dull real quick.


    Driving along the highway felt odd. The biggest part was that it should have stopped raining a few hours ago, but if anything the weather just seemed to keep getting worse. It also didn¡¯t help that I only had so many CDs that I could listen to keep my mind preoccupied with the endless highway¡­ and the tiny little doubts that continued to creep back into my mind due to a lack of the wide vast highway being¡­ empty.


    ¡®Should I have stayed the night and left during the morning when the weather was better?¡¯


    ¡°No because you already told those two idiots and you know they would have found some excuse to ignore it if they had an entire day to figure it out.¡± I muttered out loud ¡°Better just to let them know and not have enough time to weasel out of it.¡±


    The rain continued to pour down as there weren¡¯t any useful road signs to tell me where I was going or how far I had left to go. At this point even another passing car would have been nice if only to confirm that I wasn¡¯t the only person on the highway.


    Of course thinking about it only brought on the other doubts that were lingering in the back of my head now that I couldn¡¯t easily shove them away like all the others especially when the thought weighed so heavily on my mind now that I was finally going home.


    ¡°Will they recognize me?¡± I muttered to myself ¡°I mean it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    The obvious answer should have been yes, but doubt was a funny thing.


    It made you question if that bump in the night was a pinecone hitting the roof or somebody who had broken into the apartment. It was the question that made you hesitate as those simple doubts were the most effective because¡­ in the dark and left to the twisted thoughts of your own mind¡­ you could see how the worst fear could be possible because while unlikely it was¡­ you still feared that it was possible.


    Half a dozen reasons fled past my mind as each one was sadly plausible¡­ even then the basic doubts and fears flooded my mind.


    Where would I live? What would I do? Was there a job I could get quickly or was I going to have to sleep in my car and try rolling the dice to get a job just to afford an apartment to sleep in until I could find a better one?


    Once again the temptation to simply turn back came to the back of my mind as it would be easy to simply call. Jack would joke about it as let me spend the night at his apartment. Cassy would tease me though also remind me why I wanted to go since she knew I¡¯d try and leave someday¡­ and then of course where the other people¡­ some were alright, some weren¡¯t, but¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be home.


    That was the simple answer as despite how much I did enjoy it¡­ I didn¡¯t.


    It was just a place that I was good at, but one I didn¡¯t really fit in, understand, or care to understand. Maybe it was my fault or maybe it was the city¡­ but taking a trip to try and get back home was going to be my plan even if it sounded foolish to everyone else.


    Maybe it would give me perspective on what I was leaving behind or maybe returning home would be better for me because of my experiences in the city making me appreciate where I grew up a bit more. It was a nice thought to think about in trying to create a positive spin on what felt like an insane idea.


    Glancing at my phone the answer was obvious ¡°But if I don¡¯t... I know I will regret it.¡±


    Living with the nagging thought of what if was bad enough¡­  The side stop I was going to have to make just proved to be a convenient excuse. Somebody had to leave that stupid city to deal with that wretched package¡­ and there were quite a few people who weren¡¯t happy with me. Leaving even if just for a while would do me some good and hopefully make them forget about me if I wanted to return on my own terms.


    The storm grew worse as the wind picked up howling against the car as I saw a flash of thunder in the distance. Still no signs¡­ no spots to turn off the road and see if I could find a gas station or rest stop. Frowning I could see my own fuel tank that had been full near the start of the day getting near one fourth of a tank. Unless I wanted to get stuck without any gas I needed to find a pit stop or someplace to buy some fuel.


    ¡°What¡¯s the first thing you are going to say?¡± I felt myself asking


    The simple question that brought dread to my existence¡­ the other questions like food, money, rent¡­ all if it died in the face of the single and possibly only question that mattered. They would ask questions and it was hard not to expect them.


    ¡®Where have you been? What were you doing? Why did they tell us¡­¡¯


    ¡°Motel!¡± I snapped in fury ¡°Where is a bloody motel!¡±


    My fingers tapped the driver¡¯s wheel as I tried to turn on the radio only to get static. The one time I wanted to listen to whatever might be on the radio was the time that it wouldn¡¯t be working of course.


    So I tried to rehearse what I was going to say in order to ignore the nagging questions in my head ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Hey brother¡­ how has it been? Surprised to see me?¡±


    Scratching my head I thought about my family. My old friends¡­ the various questions that would be asked¡­ How was I supposed to introduce myself¡­ or reintroduce myself?


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I say something better? It should be easy! I just need to say something that doesn¡¯t feel like awkward small talk!¡¯ I nearly screamed in the back of my mind as for some reason the words failed to come through.


    Heck I was having mixed feelings about trying to work up the courage to talk to them or if I even should. They hadn¡¯t been a part of my life for a while and I hadn¡¯t been a part of their life either. Would it be better to try and interact now¡­ or just leave things as they were?


    Getting so caught up in my thoughts I nearly missed the sign to a turn off point on the highway as I took a right. There weren¡¯t any lights of civilization shining through the storm as it only grew heavier. The lights from my own car barely seemed to brighten my surroundings or the road as the rain intensified sounding like I was driving through a hail storm rather than a rain storm.


    Another flash of lightning cracked through the sky nearly making me jump in my seat as it had been close¡­ far too close for my liking as I tried to slow down finding where the stupid street lights were or any stores.


    After a couple more minutes and flashes of lightning did I finally find a place to stop at as it looked like a motel¡­ well an old one.


    The sign stood out in the distance as the lights flickered revealing the first true sign that people might be nearby. That I wasn¡¯t stuck on an endless highway with no exit in sigh.


    The plan was simple as all that I needed to do was simply drive up to the motel, spend the night and wait until the storm died down a little before getting some directions to a gas station. From there everything should solve itself on it¡¯s own.


    A good plan in theory, but the sign directing me to the main office building gave me pause. Most places like this kept the checkout room near or connected to the string of cheap rooms to spend the night in. What made this different was that the sign pointed towards stairs leading up a hill towards a rather creepy two story house.


    It was the type of house that screamed ¡®psychotic serial killer living here with their dead mother¡¯ if I had to describe it, but¡­ beggars can¡¯t be choosers¡­ Maybe I could just ask for directions to the nearest gas station and sleep in the car?


    Another crack of lightning tore through the skies as the winds howled louder reminding me that sleeping in a car tonight might not be the best choice right now. Besides¡­ there were other vehicles nearby so I wouldn¡¯t be the only person here.


    Though just to be safe I pulled out the revolver and loaded it.


    Okay I know it sounds a bit paranoid to bring a loaded gun with me to rent a room at a motel¡­ but to be fair I was the luckless soul driving to this creepy looking place trying to spend the night because of a bad storm. If this was a movie the audience would be screaming at me for not turning back since they knew a monster lived inside the home.


    Bringing a gun was just to make me feel better and a bit stupid when it revealed that it was just one of those random homes refurnished into an office building. At the very least if there was a horrible horrific serial killer or monster inside the place it would have to get past six rounds fired from a Colt Python revolver.

 Ch2

    Was it wrong of me to say that I was expecting to see a display of dead animals frozen in place growling and hissing everywhere? Instead all I saw was a¡­ rather normal house in a sense.


    The hallway led to a set of stairs leading to the upper floors and all of the doors in the hallway were shut and almost set up like an apartment building. A house turned apartment building, turned motel¡­ or something?


    One of the doors opened up revealing a small old lady carrying a few towels who smiled towards me ¡°Please dry off before stepping inside. It¡¯s a bad storm outside and I would hate to get these floors wet.¡±


    It was hard to describe the old lady as she looked old¡­ like she should be in a nursing room waiting for death, but she moved about with an energy as if she was still a young woman. I was nearly about to question if her mind was starting to go, but she gave me one look that made me keep my mouth shut as she looked as if she still had all of her marbles.


    Taking one of the towels to try to become damp instead of dripping wet. I noticed a few more towels on the ground leading to the room on the left as she opened up another door on the right revealing a laundry room full of wet clothing that was being hung out to dry.


    Apparently I wasn¡¯t the only person here ¡°I¡¯m just here to rent one of the motel rooms outside. I have money¡­¡±


    ¡°Go to the room on the left dear. Normal hours are closed, but with the storm out there I figured people might be stopping in due to this terrible weather.¡± She spoke with a slight smirk ¡°Besides I¡¯m old and I like company. More to it than that¡­¡± There was a grumble from my stomach ¡°I¡¯m betting you haven¡¯t had anything to eat so why not stay for a little before paying for a room?¡±


    ¡°I still have to go outside in the rain and I have food in the car.¡± I replied as staying didn¡¯t exactly sound like a good idea.


    There was nothing wrong with staying as it was storming outside and she was offering a free meal¡­ but I had no idea what she was serving and offending the owner of the motel by not liking their food before paying for a room probably wouldn¡¯t end well or have me end up with a good motel room.


    Of course fate at that moment didn¡¯t really seem to leave me with a choice as the door opened up with a couple shouting ¡°Let us get out of the rain!¡±


    Stepping aside and into the room the old lady had tried leading me to the path made from towels as she started repeating the same speech handing the couple some towels while I entered the new room. This room looked like a living room or possibly a dining room as it was hard to tell which.


    There were a couple of tables set around the room as most of the future were chairs or couches¡­ but moved together and slightly crammed into the room as if she had been expecting guests, but didn¡¯t have any regular chairs to for them all to sit in leaving the random assortment of furniture that didn¡¯t belong in the same room.


    There were already five other people in some of the seats trying to dry off or just take shelter from the rain as they tried using their cell phones to talk on¡­ or in the case of the one fat guy messing watching a movie on his laptop while it was plugged into a nearby electric socket.


    I took one of the empty chairs near the corner of the room as a couple in hiking clothing were busy looking over a map while the guy tried to laugh off their misfortune ¡°Heck of a storm. We nearly got lost in the woods only to find this place.¡±


    Woods? I didn¡¯t see any woods nearby as we were near the highway. Still it didn¡¯t seem like they knew where they were going as the woman was looking at the map she had trying to figure out how they lost sight of the campsite before it started pouring.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault David! that we got lost and would it have killed you to check the weather before deciding to go camping this week?¡± The woman bitterly muttered ¡°These are not clear and sunny skies.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who found us shelter from the storm Debra. That ¡®map¡¯ didn¡¯t do us a lot of good when you decided to go off the trial because you wanted a better look at that stupid deer.¡± David replied in an equally annoyed tone


    Any thoughts or questions I had towards them went away as the one thing that everybody knew¡­ do not get yourself involved in another couple¡¯s argument. Leaning back against the chair I tried to ignore the couple¡¯s argument while the next couple came into the room. The new couple was a pair of teens and they were the ¡®love struck teen¡¯ brand of love.


    Seriously what is with the odd atmosphere with this place? Is it a motel? A Hotel? Something in between or something else?


    I pulled out a pair of headphones before trying to listen to some music and ignore the couple drama. It might have even worked until the door opened up revealing a large Russian bodybuilder who seemed to be muttering something in Russian. The scene seemed so unreal it was hard not to stare at the out of place Russian taking a seat in an easy boy recliner and pulling out a phone.


    What made me nervous about him was not the fact that the massive man looked as if he could break my body in two if we got into a fight and he decided to sit next to me¡­ but from the worried expression on his face as he looked frightened. It was hard not to be nervous when the large scary Russian in the room looked worried.


    Then as if by magic there was knocking on the door as the old lady arrived once again revealing two more people soaking wet as they walked into the room as the weather outside began to howl as if we were in a hurricane! The windows shook a little as the lights flickered a little making a few people nervous.


    These two new people were both men wearing clothing that looked as if they bought it from a bargain bin since one suit of clothing was a little bit too loose and the other one was two sizes too small. The most troubling part was that they looked really nervous and almost ready to bolt out the door if not for the growing intensity of the storm outside.


    The old lady spoke ¡°Just sit down. We can talk about renting a room for the night after I serve everyone some food. It¡¯s a bad storm outside and it does my heart some good to help so many people in need.¡±


    The two new strangers eventually gave up taking up residence in two seats away from everyone as they kept their eyes on the windows. Everyone else just ignored them as they were too busy dealing with their own problems.


    I tried to follow everyone else¡¯s example and just calm down and relax, but it was kind of hard to relax with everyone around me. The hiking couple are still arguing about who got them lost. The teen love couple had the boyfriend promising his girlfriend that he would take the blame for bringing her back late because they got caught outside during the storm.


    The Russian guy trying to get his phone to work as it couldn¡¯t get a signal¡­ and yet the older woman nearby was talking in a slightly depressed tone about how she wasn¡¯t going to be home just yet to meet her daughter as she was stuck renting a room for the night due to the storm.


    This one was a little harder to ignore as she rose up from her seat and shouted ¡°Yes the storm! You can hear it outside!¡± She held the phone near the window as another bolt of thunder flashed through the sky before we heard it just a few seconds later ¡°I don¡¯t care what the news channel says. You can see this from the phone''s stupid camera that I am stuck here! Otherwise I would be taking her back to my house Adrian. You lost the rights so do not complain to me about never being there when I¡¯m needed!¡±


    I tried to turn up the volume of my headphones as nobody exactly seemed happy being here. Oh sure they were happy about getting out of the rain, but it looked like we were all in the same boat. My own hands itched around my phone as I debated between trying to call someone I knew.


    Should I try calling my parents to let them know I was coming home? Should I call Jake to let him know that I made it safely out of town and was now resting in a motel? Should I just go back to my car and try seeing if there was a gas station open nearby?


    A few more shouts from the hiking couple and the angry woman made me rethink my decision to stay.


    After all, the storm wasn¡¯t that bad and there probably was a gas station open nearby. If it wasn¡¯t open then the pumps outside might still be working so I could just fuel up my tank and find another motel¡­ or someplace with a roof over where I could park my car and simply sleep inside it.


    Stepping out into the hallway the old lady popped out of another room before staring at me in confusion ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sitting with the others to dry off? I don¡¯t want my floors wet you know.¡±


    The last bit was said with a small smile trying to be friendly¡­ while also letting me know that she wasn¡¯t kidding about the last part. My hand was already on the doorknob, but for the oddest reason I couldn¡¯t make myself open up the door without at least explaining why I was leaving.


    ¡°Things are getting a little bit¡­ charged in there.¡± I admitted out loud ¡°Look can I just pay for the room now¡­ or maybe you could give me some directions to a nearby gas station?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow at the last statement, apparently surprised that I wasn¡¯t going to let the storm/hurricane stop me ¡°I take it you¡¯re a little bit lost.¡±


    I shrugged as she wasn¡¯t wrong, but I really didn¡¯t see what that had to do with anything ¡°Just trying to get home as soon as I can.¡±


    Another bolt of thunder rang loud outside as the old lady shook her head ¡°It¡¯s a pretty bad storm out there. Look why don¡¯t you just stay a while, dry off, and I¡¯ll let you have that room for free just as long as you don¡¯t make me regret it in the morning?¡±


    That made me raise an eyebrow at that statement ¡°No offense¡­ but why?¡±


    Good charity always helped, but there were also limits to it. More to it than that she seemed a bit more surprised that I was still willing to go through the storm to find some gas rather than stay at the motel even with the offer of a free room thrown at my feet.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m old. Happy?¡± She snapped at me with a hint of frustration ¡°I lived a long life, own this place and do you see any family here? Any phone calls ringing through the house to see how I am doing in a storm like this?¡±


    Her face turned into a rather bitter frown making her look a lot older¡­ and a lot less friendly ¡°I¡¯m old, alone, no children, and barely any kin left alive to speak of. How often do you think I get company? This is a bad storm and I might as well provide some charity by not charging you all for a room in exchange for feeding you all a good meal¡­ and feeling like I am not a senile old witch living who doesn¡¯t want to live in a retirement home alone with very little family, and even fewer friends to speak of.¡±


    She stared at me oddly for a moment before clearing her throat ¡°Let me guess¡­ you ran away from home, tried to make it out on your own¡­ and now you want to see your kin again to see what they make of you or how you make of the place since you left. Possibly wondering if going back home is better than staying where you were.¡±


    That statement was rather oddly on the mark. I doubt she¡¯d understand why I left in the first place¡­ either my home or the city I left, but it felt odd for her to get enough of a rough idea.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    She cracked a small smile as if reading my mind ¡°I¡¯m old. I¡¯ve seen people like you before and heard the story over and over again. The woman in there? Single mother twice divorced, married three times. First with a man, then a woman, then a richer man. Good at falling in love, but not staying in love with anyone besides her daughter and that would be up to debate.¡±


    The old woman chuckled as if she was telling a good joke ¡°The hikers? Looking for adventure, but annoyed at how reality doesn¡¯t suit their TV saturied fantasy. They went into the woods trying to see the majesty of nature only to step on animal waste, poor plumbing, and a couple of rather nasty bug bites.¡±


    She glanced at the room shaking her head ¡°Of course a magical unicorn could dance in front of their faces and it wouldn¡¯t be enough. They don¡¯t want nature or majesty. They want something to change their lives instead of standing as a random diversion or footnote for their dull daily lives.¡±


    ¡°The two down on their luck men with ill fitting clothing?¡± She spoke with a grin that the Grinch would be proud of ¡°They are probably trouble since they are down on their luck. They took a chance and they think it paid off, but they have their doubts and refuse to admit that they didn¡¯t think it through while being far too late to pull back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand that people are generally good¡­¡± I stated as I glanced back at the room ¡°More that I¡¯d rather not being in a room full of people arguing or shouting.¡±


    Call me a bad person, but I wasn¡¯t a fan of loud noises, muchless people shouting and screaming at one another.


    That caused the old lady to chuckle a little ¡°So you went to find the bathroom for peace and quiet? I must be off my game today. How about you join me in the kitchen so that I can ramble a little and you don¡¯t get my floor wet?¡±


    Was it wrong of me to want to say no, but at the same time unable to find myself to say it? The words rested on the tip of my tongue yet refused to leave it as the old woman grabbed my arm and essentially dragged me into the kitchen.


    To my surprise the kitchen was a bit bigger than I had expected¡­ Seriously it felt like the dimensions of this building were off! Maybe they just knocked down another room to make it a larger kitchen since this was a motel/hotel?


    She went to work looking more like a kind old lady looking for company rather than¡­ the less than happy grumpy old lady that made me nervous just a few minutes ago. Her hands moved quickly pulling out a chopping board and handed me a knife and some carrots much to my confusion.


    ¡°You wanted some peace and quiet. I didn¡¯t say you couldn¡¯t help out.¡± She spoke with a small smirk as apparently she had roped me in for kitchen duty without my knowledge


    I took the knife as it was kind of hard to say ¡®No¡¯ to this old woman for some reason ¡°You aren¡¯t worried? I mean I could mess up or¡­¡±


    ¡°Stab me? Threaten me with a knife and try to rob or kill me?¡± She spoke in mocking humor ¡°If I had to worry about that, then I wouldn¡¯t have bothered inviting any of you in here and just kept the door locked... Then again¡­ I¡¯m old.¡±


    She sighed as she started setting things up ¡°Call me a fool, but I¡¯ll place my money on dying from old age before someone gets around to stabbing me in the face with a knife.¡±


    Without any more arguments she left me to the carrots chopping them up to smaller bits as she was busy tending to a rather large stew along with whatever else she could find in her fridge. As she kept cooking up more of the food I started to think that maybe half the reason why she was making this free meal was because she was trying to empty her fridge and she¡¯d rather cook it as a meal for strangers rather than throwing it away.


    Still my fears started to calm down a little as she just talked. Well more like she ranted to me about random things as I just nodded or gave a small word or two to let her know I was listening. A few of the other guests would knock on the door trying to find something. She would always respond, having the exact answer to what they wanted.


    Sometimes she even left the kitchen to take some time out and talk to one of the guests giving out a few bits of advice or just talking to them¡­ similar to how she guessed about my own circumstances and giving them some advice which¡­ surprisingly they didn¡¯t disagree with.


    Usually there always seemed to be that one person who argued for the sake of arguing as nothing would make them happy, but she never ran into them¡­ or they were not able to say no to the surprisingly spry old woman with a personality that kept people from disagreeing with her.


    Once she was back in the kitchen after the seventh time of leaving to deal with her guests she stared at me with a slight hint of being impressed ¡°You managed to keep everything in check here without me looking over your back? Who taught you how to cook?¡±


    ¡°My friend Cassy did. She said a man who is single needs to learn to cook for himself.¡± I spoke with a hint of amusement as how she had always teased me about it.


    ¡°Girlfriend?¡± The old lady spoke with a smirk


    ¡°Friend who liked my roommate instead of me.¡± I stated ¡°I was just the third wheel.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ not much luck in love then.¡± She replied shaking her head


    ¡°More like it was never for me.¡± I countered ¡°I mean I do believe in it¡­ but more that it¡¯s reserved for other people instead of me.¡±


    ¡°Not worried about growing old, single, and dying a virgin?¡± She spoke a bit bluntly to my surprise


    Then again she was old and she could probably get away with it since we¡¯d never encounter each other after tonight ¡°Too late for that. Reality already showed me that the cards just weren¡¯t in it for me.¡±


    She let out a soft, bitter, but humorous chuckle. There was a real hint of bitterness in her eyes that I knew quite well, but the soft attempt at trying to laugh at it only was done to try to lessen the sting that¡­ sometimes the cards were never there as somebody forgot to add them in the deck.


    The old woman sighed ¡°She is quite the uncaring mistress isn¡¯t she? Grow up rich and powerful. Have everyone know your name and in the end¡­ single, alone, and waiting for death to show up. Funny in a cruel way fate can be letting one marry, remarry, and marry again while the rest of us never even got to try taking a swing at it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s life. It¡¯s bitter, sour¡­ but just sweet enough to keep you wanting for more.¡± I answered much to her shock and amusement as she slapped her knee before letting out a hearty laugh


    ¡°Ah I think I like you! Shame about tonight though.¡± She replied as if an afterthought ¡°I think you would have made a fine daughter.¡±


    ¡°Somehow I highly doubt that.¡± I replied off hand ¡°I mean first of all... I¡¯m a guy.¡±


    ¡°Bah. You have no sense of imagination.¡± She spoke in good humor as if that minor detail wasn¡¯t important ¡°Where¡¯s your imagination?¡±


    ¡°Oh I have plenty of imagination, just none of it good.¡± I replied in stride


    ¡°Oh come on. That¡¯s the best type of imagination you can have!¡± She spoke with a genuine grin while trying her best not to laugh ¡°Come on now and let¡¯s set out the table before seeing which one of those brats makes it through the night.¡±


    I shook my head as I think I finally pegged her down. She was just one of those people who were so old¡­ they just stopped caring what people thought of them. So what if she ticked off a few people with her attitude?


    She highly doubted she would see any of them and she was old enough to know she wasn¡¯t going to get any better so why not speak bluntly and say whatever she wanted to say?


    I helped carry along some of the dishes and entered the dining room as everyone was still arguing a bit, but most of them calmed down at the magical sight of free food and booze that silenced most arguments. It was also probably a little bit shocking as nobody had been expecting a good meal after coming here in the middle of the night during a storm like this.


    The brief moment of silence only lasted for a few seconds as reality kicked back in as they were now focused on the food or snapping at each other not to hog the chicken, or to pass one of the drinks around. The old woman just smiled at the sight as I sort of understood why she was doing it.


    Anyone can be nice for a day and with the storm raging outside¡­ Everyone inside was now ignoring the storm, eating a good meal, as some of the others started talking to one another. Mostly trying to find out what they were doing and what they were going to do when they leave as the flow of alcohol helped smooth over a few sore edges or let others drink away their worries.


    If you squinted your eyes and let yourself ignore the bitterness of the storm outside¡­ you could almost think it was like a family arguing at a dinner table. The old woman just wanted a little bit of company to fool herself that just for tonight... that she wasn¡¯t alone.


    She went from chair to chair stepping in to break up arguments or provide a bit of advice to those she thought needed it. Nobody argued with her as she took away empty plates and brought new ones full of food as some actually went to help her out with the mess left behind by the small feast.


    It felt¡­ nice to tell the truth as it was one of those moments that you¡¯d remember just due to how odd¡­ but nice life could be. You¡¯d probably never run into it a second time, but just the thought or memory that it had happened was enough to warm the heart.


    Eventually everyone had started splitting up and going to the rooms the old lady assigned to them as a few of us were left heading out to the motel rooms or being left inside the house if they drank too much and passed out or fell asleep.


    Most of the others grumbled about getting up or borrowing something from the owner of the house to protect them from the storm before another knock on the door came. The old lady opened up the door and frowned as two police officers stood outside.


    ¡°Step inside or please step out of the way.¡± She spoke in a very bitter tone ¡°I have a few guests who need their sleep.¡±


    ¡°Just came to check up on things¡­ especially considering the weather.¡± The cop spoke up, casting his gaze on everyone he could see ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    The old lady smiled before speaking in a venomous tone ¡°It will be over soon enough. Just let this old lady have her last night in peace while the rest of you ingrates finish figuring out if you are building a shopping center over my home or a waste treatment plant when I finally die.¡±


    The cop nodded for a moment before glancing at everyone ¡°I¡¯d suggest all of you get out of here as soon as the weather lets you.¡±


    He and his partner walked back into the storm leaving a few of us confused and the ¡®down on their luck men¡¯ hiding in the dining room. A few of the others started heading out to their motel rooms, but a few stayed behind preferring to wait until the cops left or where out of ear shot.


    The fat guy grumbled ¡°What¡¯s with their problem?¡±


    The old lady shrugged ¡°That fact that I¡¯m old and still around. They don¡¯t want reminders of the past and wish to move onto what they think will be a brighter future.¡± She practically spat ¡°This house is old and the town might fare better if this entire place was torn down and replaced with some trivial toy for the masses to stare dumbstruck at while trying to forget how meaningless their lives have become.¡±


    ¡°Back in my day people were known¡­ communities stood for something as you had leaders of communities who helped look after their neighborhood instead of complain about it!¡± She practically raised a fist and shook it to the door.


    The other guests nodded as I couldn¡¯t help, but wonder what the full story was. Why did cops come in the middle of this wretched storm just to tell people to pack up and leave?


    The old woman continued her triad ¡°While you might not always be happy at least you knew who you could argue to in order to get things done or find out what¡¯s going on!¡± She spoke with growing disdain ¡°Leaders hiding in the shadows as the mindless masses move along without knowing who to talk to or voice their complaints to. I may have been a mean old witch back in my day, but people knew they could curse me out if I screwed up or just come up and tell me if something needed to be fixed! Not wait in a stupid line for a stack of bloody useless papers to fill out in triplicate only to be ignored once you fill them out!¡±


    She closed her eyes and sighed pinching her nose and trying to return back to the nice old lady who severed us dinner than the rather¡­ meaner one who lost her good mood at the unexpected arrivals.


    Some of the people in the room left ignoring her rant or not paying it any thought. Those that stayed she looked at for a moment before nodding as she took a deep breath ¡°If I have one final lesson to give you all¡­ just remember that anyone can be nice for a day. You folk should be a lot more careful in who you trust least it comes and bite you when you least expect it.¡±


    We all left reaching our respective motel rooms with keys in hands before locking up for the night. The rooms weren¡¯t bad, though they were kind of cheap. The room had a single bed, no TV, no windows, and a single table with a chair next to a lamp. There was a bathroom, but it was a small one¡­ as apparently they didn¡¯t want to spend too much money making this place.


    I felt like going to bed¡­ but my paranoia got the better of me as I moved the table and chair in front of the door wedging it shut. The old lady on the haunted looking house was a lot better than I thought, and this pit stop had been a nice experience¡­ but the pistol resting by my side still told me to be careful.


    ¡°You are in a better place.¡± I told myself chastising myself ¡°Oh what fools we must be! To see what must not be seen, and call forth the curse, yet think it a blessing nonetheless!¡±


    The area was clean and well kept. There were cops nearby who even went out in a storm like this to make sure people were okay. The old lady was nice as my fears based on horror movies had been proven wrong and people were generally good people.


    ¡®Generally good people¡¯ was the keyword as I rubbed my wrists.


    ¡°Oh what A fool I must be to beg for the Curse and still this it was a Blessing now that I might escape it.¡± I muttered to myself.


    Even after having driven far away from that place¡­ a part of me began to doubt if I had truly left my troubles behind? I had friends¡­ and I had ticked off a quite few people. I mean it would be foolish to think that they would try and follow me after I left but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s just paranoia.¡± I muttered to myself ¡°Jack gave you the gun as a joke. Cassy would probably laugh¡­ and Andrew would tell me to wait a day. If nothing happened then I was safe. Otherwise the police are nearby and 911 are just three buttons away.¡±


    The storm raged outside howling like a beast from the depths of the Spire yet a crazy part of me still wanted to race back to my car and drive away! That I still hadn¡¯t run far enough away to even think that I was able to relax.


    In the morning I was going to get some gas, get back on the road, and simply go home.


    Walking over to the bed I let the pistol rest near my side as tomorrow I was going to start my new life.

 Ch3

    There are many things that can wake someone up from their sleep. Babies crying, some idiot revving up a motorcycle just to annoy people, and of course the good old shouting match between two people as one or both of them were just trying to make a scene for their own vaunted ego.


    Sadly for me this was a motel so the sound of a full grown woman screaming woke me up as I groaned in mild annoyance reaching for my revolver. The sleep deprived part of my brain promised swift vengeance upon the fool who dared have the TV on max volume! Heck, the court might even rule in my favor if I shoot the TV first?


    The more rational part of my brain was trying to play catch up and kept trying to inform me that it wasn¡¯t that bad and I might as well get up, get dressed and¡­


    My hand tapped around where my trusty revolver should have been only to find a book resting in its place. I didn¡¯t go to sleep with a book besides me and if it was one of those hotel bibles then shouldn¡¯t it be inside the cabinet or something?


    The fact that my only weapon nearby wasn¡¯t in arm¡¯s reach started waking me up faster as I tried finding my gun only to find out I wasn¡¯t sleeping in my bed.


    No instead of a cheap motel bed and pillow¡­ I was sleeping on a hardwood floor. This was an issue because I didn¡¯t drink anything besides water so there was no way I had passed out in a drunken stupor. The fact that my clothes felt stiff and I could hear people talking around me didn¡¯t make me feel any better.


    If somebody broke into my room and dumped me on the floor someplace else¡­ then there was a good chance somebody tried to steal something from my car while I was asleep. That thought alone sent a shiver down my spine waking me up far faster than any cup of coffee ever could.


    Four young women I had never seen before were looking around the room in confusion. Glancing down at my own body it was a small relief that I wasn¡¯t naked¡­ though less thrilled about my clothing being stained with grass, dirt, and blood as if I was a psychotic murderous hobo who just passed out in a drug fueled stupor right in the middle of the room.


    Oh and my pistol which should have been beside me was strapped to my side without any bullets in the gun chamber. This wasn¡¯t a ¡®someone emptied out the bullets¡¯ as I could see scratches, a few bits of damage¡­ and the sign that each chamber had fired a bullet meaning it had been used to shoot something.


    Waking up in a strange room, surrounded by strange people, with no weapon to defend yourself with?


    You could see why I had tried my best not to panic which I think managed to work right up until I noticed the cuts, scrapes, and bruises across my body as my wrist watch had the day showing that one entire week had passed since I went to sleep. The first rule of suddenly waking up in a strange place with no memory of what was happening¡­ was finding something to defend yourself with.


    ¡®Trust in paranoia as it tis a blessing! If thou are right you shall be prepared and it shall be a relief when you are wrong.¡¯


    Right now paranoia seemed to be right as I saw a knife resting next to a dead body. The first thought that ran through my mind was that there was a dead body sitting in the room. It took me a few seconds to realize that the old woman had died with a smile on her face as a creepy looking book sitting on a book stand beside her chair.


    The knife was stained with dried blood, but nobody (besides me) was covered in blood or had scratches all over their body. Everybody was freaking out yet nobody had left the room as they also didn¡¯t seem to know each other.


    So the first thing I did was grab the knife and check her for a pulse while preparing for the worst.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Someone shouted


    I turned my head to see the first person to actually pay any attention to me. A random young woman who was wearing a red formal dress¡­ and someone I didn¡¯t recognize from last night (or week). Normally that was a good thing, but right now it was kind of bad since I was covered in dirt, grass, and blood stains now holding the blood stained knife.


    ¡°Checking to see if she¡¯s dead.¡± I carefully replied trying not to make a scene or have them all attack me. ¡°Unless one of you killed her.¡±


    Woman in red frowned as she stared at the body with a bit of hatred for some odd reason before running a hand through her long dark brown hair. Her skin was tanned and more importantly her clothes were clean and pressed as she looked as if she had gotten out of a beauty parlor if one ignored the bloodshot eyes and panicked look she had as she kept looking around the room in confusion.


    ¡°First rule in stories like these. Check the body to make sure it¡¯s dead because the first ¡®dead body¡¯ is usually faked.¡± I muttered to myself


    It always annoyed me since a lot of mystery stories had you guessing which character was responsible for the disaster (and deaths leading afterwards) was always the first dead person who faked their death so they wouldn¡¯t have to risk their own life in their crazy death game.


    What was the point of trying to figure out who the killer in the group is if none of them are the real killer?


    ¡°Oh why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± The next woman spoke only this one was closer to me.


    The woman in a green dress took the knife out of my hand before slapping the corpse with her free hand and screamed ¡°Wake up or I¡¯ll stab you!¡±


    That got everyone¡¯s attention as it was hard not to pay attention to a full grown woman screaming with a sharp knife in her hand. Moving back sounded like an excellent idea while the now enraged women in the green formal dress shook the corpse screaming at it for a few seconds while holding the knife tightly in her other hand.


    There wasn¡¯t a look of confusion, but rage in her eyes as she first stabbed the knife into the corpse¡¯s neck which would have killed her if the old lady was faking her death. Still that didn¡¯t seem to be enough for the woman with the knife as she just continued screaming and stabbing the corpse repeatedly to the point of mutilation.


    ¡°Uh¡­ is she normally like this?¡± I asked knowing full well to take cover behind a nearby chair in case crazy knife lady threw something at me


    ¡°No¡­ I mean she isn¡¯t normally this bad, but¡­¡± The woman in red rubbed her head ¡°I don¡¯t know her.¡±


    That caught my attention as saying someone isn¡¯t normally ¡®this bad¡¯ while also claiming to say that they didn¡¯t know her didn¡¯t make any sense. Of course waking up in the room that last night or week where random strangers were fed what might possibly have been a drugged meal also didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to be here¡­¡± The woman in green spoke in growing dread ¡°I can¡¯t remember. I can¡¯t remember! Why can¡¯t I remember anything other than this witch! She isn¡¯t my mother! I know she isn¡¯t!¡±


    I gulped as a woman in green who was furious at her own confusion and the corpse in front of her. She looked like your standard fair skinned blond woman who looked more likely she would be selling something on TV, but all hints of beauty were washed away by the blood on her hands and the crazed psychotic look in her eye.


    Once again the same confusion came from trying to make sense of what she said as she claimed she couldn¡¯t remember¡­ while also thinking that the old lady she tried to murder was also her mother.


    Every woman in the room looked somewhere between their twenties and thirties as the ¡®mother¡¯ looked to be in her nineties or something. The fact none of them were giving me odd looks or questioning about my own attire made me question ¡®what the heck is going on with these people?¡¯


    ¡°Okay I can¡¯t remember who I am either, but can we all please talk without any weapons in our hands?¡± The woman in the blue dress suit spoke with what sounded like an british accent


    Woman in green stabbed the corpse in the face one last time before leaving the weapon ¡°Who are you¡­ why do I think you¡¯re family! I¡¯m an only child! My name is¡­ my name is¡­¡± Her hands clung to her face as she struggled ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    Woman in blue cleared her throat ¡°I don¡¯t remember my name either. For some odd reason I think you¡¯re my sisters¡­ but no clue on the guy.¡±


    All their heads turned towards me as I kept my eyes on the one closest to the knife who stared at me in a mixture of confusion¡­ and a hint of psychotic rage. Trying to keep her away from me was the most important thing to do right now. She had a knife and I didn¡¯t have a weapon as somebody had left me with an empty gun for some absurd reason!


    Woman in red shook her head ¡°I have the feeling we are messing one¡­ but no idea who is missing.¡±


    The last woman groaned ¡°He¡¯s the spare. Our ¡®sister¡¯ was shot in the head by the cop who decided trying to gun us in our sleep was better than letting us off with a warning.¡±


    Everyone turned to face her as the last woman looked different from everyone else. She didn¡¯t have a formal dress as the clothing¡­ it looked halfway caught up between normal clothing and a dress as it was a very odd and impossibly surreal piece of clothing that looked more as if someone was in the middle of trying to change it, but stopped mid way leaving a very impractical article of clothing.


    Her hair was black though there were brown highlights at the end of it which only seemed to add to the ¡®half finished¡¯ aspect she was going for. Of course all of those details weren¡¯t as surprising as the one key item she held that separated her from the other women.


    She was holding a cell phone as a different female voice spoke from it ¡°Oh my goodness. They gunned him down. The cops here are trying to kill us saying it¡¯s for our own good! My name is Rebecca Colt¡­¡±


    The image showed a young woman¡­ one of the people who had been in the room, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to. More importantly she looked nothing like the current person who was holding the phone.


    There could have been a couple of plausible explanations like her stealing the phone¡­ but those thoughts died when I saw something that shouldn¡¯t be here on that phone. The second cop had pulled out a machine gun only to freeze as it hovered over her.


    The creature was dressed in a long black dress forged out of countless black scraps stitched together as it leaned over the second cop before grabbing the cop and pulling them out of the phone¡¯s camera. The first cop of course screamed with the person on the phone freaking out before the person holding the phone closed it silencing the video.


    Everyone was staring at the only person who seemed to have any idea on what was going on. She stared at everyone as stage fright seemed to have taken her for a second, before she took a deep breath and shook her head ¡°My name is Rebecca Colt. I was the woman on the phone. Most of its fuzzy, but apparently ¡®mom¡¯ ran out of time for the finishing touches.¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡± The woman in the green dress interrupted in a fit of furry ¡°I came to this place to sleep in a motel room only to wake up like this, and my memories screwed up! I have no phone. I have no wallet, no ID, nothing that tells me who I am while these two get the lucky break!¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She was pointing at me and Rebecca. It made sense for her¡­ but I¡¯m guessing the fact I was the only male in the room left me as the odd man out. It also left me in the sights of the woman holding a sharp knife pointed in my general direction.


    ¡°No clue how I got here. Barely remember last night, and I look like I got mauled by a wild animal before being left dead in a ditch or a grave¡­¡± I glanced at the dirt and grass around ¡®my spot¡¯ which wasn¡¯t as clean as the others ¡°Did they literally dig me out of a grave or something?¡±


    This made a couple of them move back and stared at me in confusion either trying to figure out if I was insane¡­ or if somebody had literally dug me out of a grave. The fact that they even thought that might be a possibility left me unnerved.


    ¡°No... I think you needed to be alive¡­¡± Woman in blue spoke rubbing her neck ¡°Last thing I remember was being strangled by someone else¡­ before a different person stopping them and saying they can¡¯t afford a ¡®second loss tonight¡¯¡­ so I think you were alive. I mean otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be down a sister according to Rebecca.¡±


    ¡°Lucky.¡± Knife girl replied with envy


    The woman in red stared at her in disbelief before shouting ¡°Lucky? We are the lucky ones in case you didn¡¯t realize everyone else who spent the night died! Yes we are cursed, but we can break curses. What we cannot do is bring people back from the dead!¡±


    That caught everyone else¡¯s attention as I tried my best not to stare at my own handgun as apparently the murder mystery party had already been finished. The people inside this room were the survivors meaning I had used this gun to prevent someone else from murdering me.


    Apparently I wasn¡¯t paranoid enough when I went to bed that night.


    The second moment of dread passed through my body as the ¡®missing sister¡¯ was shot dead by a cop and the old lady¡­ she had already picked out her winners!


    It wasn¡¯t luck that everyone else survived! They were chosen by the old witch for¡­ whatever this was! That meant the rest of us were just extra bodies for whatever she had been planning until something messed it all up.


    The words rang through my head ¡°I think you would have made a fine daughter.¡±


    The cold clenching feeling in my stomach grew as it wasn''t by random chance that I had survived¡­ the old witch decided to pick me up as a spare after her ¡®first pick¡¯ had died leaving me as the runner up.


    ¡®Come on think logically!¡¯ I thought to myself ¡®This entire thing is just crazy! There are no such thing as witches or crazy magic voodoo powers that transform people or night¡­ or over a week¡­¡¯


    Any moment somebody was going to just pop out and shout ¡®surprise! Now let¡¯s see your face on camera!¡¯ where it was all revealed to be an elaborate prank being pulled on random people. That made a lot more sense than this crazy madness!


    This was the real world! Oh sure strange stuff happened and while it may not look like it on the surface¡­ there was always some sort of logic to the madness instead of twiddling fingers and chanting random nonsense like some fantasy book wizard to make impossible stuff happen.


    You didn¡¯t mutter the word ¡®fire¡¯ in quasi Latin and shoot fireballs out of your hand! There was a system or a basis of logical that explained everything instead of magic mobo jumbo being the answer!


    ¡°None of this makes any sense!¡± The woman in green shouted breaking me from my thoughts ¡°How did we change! Was I a guy or a girl before the curse took effect? How are you so calm about all of this?¡±


    The woman in blue bit her lip clearly uneasy ¡°I¡¯ll even admit that feeling so calm is kind of creepy. I mean I know I should be screaming my head off and questioning who I am or what to do¡­ but¡­¡± she shivered ¡°Nothing. Just neat tidy ¡®look at the problem and figure it out¡¯ without all the fear or panic.¡±


    ¡°Well shouldn¡¯t there be a book somewhere?¡± Rebecca asked in mild annoyance ¡°Some sort of ¡®Oh I am sorry for cursing you, but here is why¡¯ message left behind? I mean she went through all the trouble of kidnapping us.¡±


    ¡°Forget seeing if she left us anything. We should just leave this place before the police come in asking us questions or trying to gun us down!¡± The woman with a knife snapped out loud ¡°I need to go home and I can¡¯t do that¡­ here where it keeps screwing with my head!¡±


    The woman in blue glanced over to me before pointing at the ground ¡°Can I borrow that book? Maybe there¡¯s a key or hint¡­¡±


    I picked up the book that had been lying beside me only for a key to fall out of it. Rebbeca quickly snatched up the key and ran around the room trying to find something for the key to fit in while the woman with the knife just ran to the front door trying to open it up finding it locked¡­ before coming back into the room to grab a wooden chair before running and screaming towards the front door trying to break it down.


    That left the remaining three of us with a mystery book left by a witch who tried to murdered everyone else and cursed the survivors for some obscure reason.


    I glanced at them as I really needed better names to call them by ¡°What are your names?¡±


    They both stared at me in confusion as apparently they had the witch magic curse letting them know each other¡¯s names leaving me the odd man out. The fact that I might not even know their names apparently didn¡¯t cross their mind which was kind of creepy especially since I was way out of my preferred element.


    It was probably a stupid idea, but I showed them my revolver ¡°Okay look I have no idea what is going on or who any of you are. I have a gun which is out of ammo as I had been shooting something dangerous. I would like to know what names to shout if we run into the monster from Rebecca¡¯s phone.¡±


    ¡°Monster?¡± The woman in red spoke ¡°What monster?¡±


    I looked at her in confusion as apparently she didn¡¯t pay attention to the video ¡°Big creepy thing dressed in black that abducted one of the police officers trying to shoot people? I¡¯d like to have something to defend myself or a name to shout if we see that thing again.¡±


    She glanced at her surroundings nervously ¡°Scarlet¡­ you can call me Scarlet because of the dress as for the monster¡­ I just saw the woman suddenly getting yanked away and disappearing in mid air.¡±


    We both stared at each other trying to see if someone was lying. Personally I couldn¡¯t see how she missed the giant creepy eldritch looking monster in the video. It was in plain sight and attacked the police officer which was very hard to miss!


    I glanced over to the woman in blue who was now reading the book from the floor. She apparently wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to the mystery monster question and I really needed a better name that ¡®blue¡¯ to refer to her as.


    I cleared my throat ¡°Did you see the monster Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Alexandria.¡± She replied ¡°And no, but that¡¯s probably a good thing. Apparently ¡®Mom¡¯ made a pact with it as insurance to make sure most of us survived the night. The fact we don¡¯t know or can¡¯t see it apparently protects us¡­ or it should have protected us.¡±


    So we were dealing with what might possibly be an invisible eldritch monster that could murder us all now that the old lady had kicked the bucket. Now I really wanted to get to my car and grab a couple of items¡­ or better yet drive away trying to flee the insanity that had taken refuge inside this place.


    Alexandria cleared her throat as she tried to continue ¡°Apparently ¡®mom¡¯ was a witch who didn¡¯t have any heirs and didn¡¯t want her line to end after her death. All of us were ¡®invited¡¯ because she wanted five heirs just in case one of us died.¡±


    Scarlet stared at Alexandria in disbelief for a few seconds before glancing at her own clothing. Alexandria didn¡¯t seem much happier with the confirmation that the woman with the highlights apparently was telling the truth.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s worse as apparently we might not even have been female as there is a notation in here just in case¡­¡± Alexandria paused as she stared at me for a few seconds before closing the book ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Call me Dais as that¡¯s what was written along the side of my revolver.¡± I informed them


    Yes it wasn¡¯t my real name and it was more of a bad joke¡­ but my paranoia was kicking in. Strange women, elaborate rituals, magic and eldritch monsters possibly lying outside the house? I had no idea what was going on and if they were going to pick fake names then why not me?


    They continued to stare at me as I shrugged ¡°What? I have no idea what is going on and none of this makes any sense to me! Seriously I am still holding out for plastic surgery to be a possibility rather than an old lady drugged us in our sleep and twiddled her fingers to cast a spell because none of this makes any sense to me.¡±


    Alexandria sighed, shaking her head before she finally went back to what she was saying ¡°Well¡­ apparently she wanted female heirs.¡± She glanced at me for a few more seconds dragging it out ¡°And she had set everyone for assigned roles¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait why did you stress female heirs?¡± Scarlet interrupted


    Alexandria rubbed her neck as she looked away before saying ¡°Because there apparently was an¡­ issue with Dai. The note left here is just in case he wasn¡¯t the only male here when we woke up.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Both me and Scarlet both nearly shouted at once


    It was surprising that some of the other girls were originally men¡­ but another point that there was a message left just in case I was still a guy¡­ that I was singled out or that the person doing the cursing had apparently left a message in case they failed.


    ¡°He was the spare.¡± Scarlet spoke as she rubbed the back of her neck ¡°So he didn¡¯t get cursed because it wasn¡¯t prepared for him?¡±


    That actually kind of made sense and was a little bit worrying since it meant that five other people had apparently been stalked by a creepy old witch for a magical ritual. A bit grim considering that nobody stopped her and the only reason why I was alive was because one of the five got killed by fake cops.


    ¡°Apparently¡­ there¡¯s an¡­ issue?¡± She stared at me as she didn¡¯t understand the message ¡°Also Dai¡­ you tried making a Pact with The Stitch Witch!¡± Suddenly everyone turned to stare at me ¡°To keep yourself alive though there was something... ¡®off¡¯ about it?¡±


    Scarlet stared at me in disbelief ¡°You made a pact with¡­ witch of the hill¡­ the invisible monster is the Stitch Witch!¡±


    Now Alexandria stared at Scarlet in disbelief ¡°No that can¡¯t be right¡­ if the invisible monster was the Stitch Witch then he wouldn¡¯t be able to see her! You have to know her name and obviously he doesn¡¯t know her name. She specifically made a warding ritual to prevent anyone who¡­¡±


    ¡°The fake cops knew something was wrong and the old lady was rather upset that they had appeared.¡± I reminded them. ¡°Rebecca also had a video of the fake cops being killed by something that apparently nobody else could see¡­¡±


    ¡°No if you made a Pact then¡­ Pacts are dangerous! It¡¯s like making a deal with the Fae!¡± She spoke in growing annoyance ¡°That is twisting words and agreements to suit their needs straight down to the letter of the law, but not the spirit in which it was agreed upon! There is no way he¡¯d be here alive and intact if he made a pact with the Stitch Witch! You all know how all of her pacts end!¡±


    Scarlet nodded, apparently agreeing with Alexandria leaving me a lot more confused than before. Also it didn¡¯t exactly sound right either as Pacts were intent on the agreement instead of lettering of the agreement. Thinking that some eldritch being would understand much less care for the careful twisting of legal word of some poorly written documents was laughable at best and suicidal at worst.


    Scarlet apparently noticed my look of confusion as she asked ¡°Do you know what a witch is? How to do magic? What the Stitch Witch is?¡±


    Alexandria rolled her eyes having gone back to reading the book as I didn¡¯t know what to say. None of what was going on made any sense to me¡­ half of it seemed utterly insane and yet they had a certain amount of¡­ certainty in just accepting some of this as fact.


    There was no doubt in their mind that the book could be lying or the false memories could be wrong. Well they weren¡¯t real memories, but none of the information could be off or just straight out lies meant to guide them in a certain direction.


    Shaking my head I tried to be honest with them instead of telling them the truth ¡°I thought witches were myth and legend as in the ¡®riding broom sticks and brim hats¡¯ deal... only to find out that apparently not only are they real, but they can erase people¡¯s memories and change their appearance.¡± I spoke glancing back at the mutilated corpse ¡°So I have no idea on what unique brand of madness is going on here.¡±


    Witches were stories and fairy tales. The type of magic they were talking about belonged to utter nonsense as it went with fairy tale logic than¡­ something more grounded. The fact that they seemed to believe in knowing a name meaning a monster can harm you.


    That was like saying ¡®if you pretend the bear outside doesn¡¯t exist it won¡¯t hurt you.¡¯ which was a big load of nonsense! The bear was still real and it could tear down your very real door and maul you to death if it felt like it!


    Scarlet just kept staring at me either noticing that I had evaded her question or she was trying to figure out what was going on. Alexandra on the other hand seemed firm in her belief that whatever the book said was true¡­ despite the video evidence stating that the fake cops knowing about a magical monster had come to the house and started murdering people.


    ¡°The really important part here is our roles which our ¡®mother¡¯ had tried to make.¡± Alexandria spoke softly filled with unease ¡°One of us is The Lost Traveler far from home unable to return, and here to find what must be found. The Healer who cared for the one they loved, now made to tend for her family and home. The Binder who twisted words to suit their needs, shall bind each oath for the good of each heir. The Crafter who spent their time looking and learning to now apply lost lore with ones they know to further the craft once more.¡±


    She glanced into the hallway towards the two ¡®missing siblings¡¯ making sure they were well out of ear shot before saying ¡°The Taker who earned their spot by killing those who were not chosen. The final heir being the one sent to cut down those who oppose them and ensure none challenge the Heirs of the Hill.¡±


    Scarlet didn¡¯t need an explanation as I stared at my pistol as a grim thought entered my head for a moment before I discarded the horrible idea. Okay I would defend myself, but I wasn¡¯t a fan of pointless death. Besides it was pretty obvious that ¡®The Lost Traveler¡¯ fit me pretty well since I was the one trying to return home.


    ¡°So Dais is the one who murdered everyone who wasn¡¯t turned?¡± Scarlet spoke in disbelief


    ¡°No!¡± Both me and Alexandra nearly shouted


    She glanced at me not taking her eyes off as she continued ¡°No he¡¯s The Lost Traveler. I know that because I remember mom calling him a lost traveler with meaning behind the words as she thought he would have made a ¡®good daughter¡¯ unlike¡­¡±


    Her hands clenched tightly to the book as there was a look of envy on her face before a brief look of disbelief replaced it ¡°Oh my goodness¡­ I¡¯m jealous you had a better relationship with the witch that cursed us rather than¡­¡± She tossed the book away from her as if it was a venomous snake


    Suddenly she was now staring at the room around her as if she had suddenly gained claustrophobia or if she was expecting the furniture to suddenly spring to life to try and attack her. The woman with the knife was now trying various objects and tools to break down any part of the front door. Rebecca on the other hand had started knocking down objects or tossing them aside trying to find where the key had gone.


    Alexandra paused as she stared at one of the windows like a panicked animal suddenly finding a way out as fear tainted what was supposed to be a calm and orderly voice ¡°New plan! We get out of the house before it messes with our mind!¡±


    I glanced at Rebecca as suddenly the answer was obvious ¡°Okay so we test the key on the front¡­¡±


    There was the sound of glass shattering as Alexandra hadn¡¯t bothered waiting for an answer. Instead she had grabbed the nearest heavy object and threw it at a window breaking it open catching everyone else¡¯s attention. The ¡®calm one¡¯ had just freaked out and panicked causing everyone to gather and see what the heck was going on.


    Alexandra wasn¡¯t waiting for answers as she grabbed a throw rug knocking everything on it down on the wood floor before shoving the rug onto the bottom of the window frame to prevent herself from getting cut by some of the shards of glass.


    It took everyone a second to realize what she was doing until she landed in the bushes outside the house¡­ and we all noticed the cars sitting outside. The door might have been hexed¡­ but the windows were still made out of glass.


    ¡°Do any of you have any car keys?¡± She asked in a slightly pleading tone ¡°Because the motel is gone, but the cars are still there.¡±

 Ch4

    Yesterday there was a motel sitting outside and more importantly there was a large motel sign near the highway. That little detail was important because not only were the two of them missing¡­ but so was the road leading to the highway.


    In fact the entire scenery had literally changed overnight.


    The only road leading to the house was one of dirt and it went towards a large metal fence with spikes and barbed wire around the top of it. The type of fence that gave a clear ¡®stay off my property¡¯ vibe that was one watchtower short of a prison.


    The very high and sturdy fence was built all around the area, even cutting out a small section of a nearby patch of forest that rested behind the house¡­ This entire place looked more like some rich person¡¯s private property instead of a random run down motel for wayward souls to spend the night at.


    You¡¯d almost think we imagined the whole thing except for the odd details around the front yard. The first was how the vehicles were lined up as suitcases, bags, and random articles of clothing now left lying on the ground where the rooms should have been.


    Just a few feet away from each vehicle that didn¡¯t make any sense¡­ unless you knew what was supposed to have been there.


    Magically disappearing buildings were a problem, but it dropped a rank under the battlefield damage I saw. Some of the vehicles had bullet holes in them and you could find a few guns lying on the ground. Somere were a little bit damaged though we still took them just to be safe.


    No the real problem laid in the heavily damaged guns like the shotgun snapped in two or an assault rifle cleaved in half from the barrel of the gun to the hilt of the gun. Almost as if somebody had tried shooting something until it cleaved the gun (and person) in half.


    Yet there were no bodies. There was blood on the ground and bullet shells¡­ but not a single corpse as everything else was left behind. In my general experience missing bodies were never a good sign.


    The girls had started questioning what sort of magic had been utilized to craft the buildings that had been here yesterday¡­ or last week.


    My first thought was mind control or possibly illusions. It was a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but something far safer to believe in than something that had the ability to warp reality. The latter of course rarely ended well as there were plenty of stories that had even successful reality warping individuals end up causing a horrific amount of chaos and mayhem¡­ and the mess outside didn¡¯t make me think that everything went off without any problems.


    After all, how did four police cars count as keeping things quiet or preventing trouble for happening? One of the police cars had tried driving to the gate and this one was unique, because the roof looked as if it had been cut open with a power saw and the seat was covered in blood.


    A terrifying thought ran through my head ¡®Those fake cops had real police cars¡­ or were they real cops?¡¯


    Somehow I doubted that the person driving the car simply waited for the unwanted passenger to finish slicing through the roof and then into the driver¡¯s chair without a hint of resistance.


    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Scarlet spoke pointing at a line of blood.


    Not a blood spray or pool of blood¡­ but a line of blood as if something solid had been there before it suddenly had been removed¡­ or vanished.


    ¡°No¡­ somebody couldn¡¯t have tried messing with reality.¡± I thought to myself ¡°Any who tries always ends up dying horribly. There are just too many ways it can go wrong. Too many little details and things that people tend to forget or fail to notice which makes the backlash so horrific.¡±


    Yet the pessimistic part of my mind reminded me about the fact that the old lady was in fact¡­ really old and that things probably weren¡¯t going to get better for her. So why go out with a whimper when you could go out with a bang even if you failed?


    Urge to flee from this place rising.


    ¡°Okay who has car keys?¡± Alexandria asked out loud ¡°Anyone?¡±


    I head a window shatter as one of them had simply opted for smashing in a window and trying to loot anything of value inside one of the mostly shot up cars¡­ the fact that the car alarm didn¡¯t go off either meant the car battery was shot up¡­ or whatever happened here also took out the alarms.


    Thankfully my car was still in one piece even if it had a flat tire from somebody shooting it. All I needed to do was get a few supplies and steal/borrow a tire from one of the other cars.


    Small mercies.


    Opening up the door and pulling the passenger seat back a quick sigh of relief filled me with ease as the backpack was still there. Opening it up just to be safe I found all of my supplies still resting inside it. Some spare clothing, a few bottles of ink (safely intact with pen), gloves, and two expandable baton ¡®wands¡¯ (with safeguards) and the second one a slightly illegal stun baton.


    Sadly I didn¡¯t pack any bullets because I didn¡¯t expect to need more bullets¡­ but my ID was missing. A regular ID that showed I was a legal US citizen and the one that allowed me to carry a concealed firearm. Checking the backpack twice over it was¡­ confusing. Of all the things to go missing why would it by my ID instead of¡­ it.


    The large silver orb was still resting near the bottom of the backpack safely hidden inside of a shirt. Slowly pulling the item out it was hard not to shiver as I felt the weight in my hands. Holding the thing, much less seeing it out in the open even if it was in my hands felt like tempting fate.


    Somebody had snuck into my car, and took all the forms of ID including the fake ones¡­ and left this behind? If anything trying to find the hiding spots for my IDs should be a secondary goal¡­ or a forgotten one once they found this thing!


    ¡°Is this fake or did they actually forget to take it?¡± I muttered to myself.


    The orb was just that¡­ a silver almost metallic looking orb that seemed to reflect everything around it¡­ you could easily see what it reflected as it only showed what was around it. This was the reason that forced me to leave as finding a safe place to hide it¡­ or dispose of it.


    ¡®See if it¡¯s real and cause a scene?¡¯ I thought to myself ¡®Or don''t... and only to find out it was a fake once you are halfway down the road?¡¯


    That second line of thought horrified me more. Something unnatural happened here, memory loss, and if you were to believe four random people being turned into ¡®daughters¡¯ of a witch which false memories slowly trying to fill in the blanks.


    Biting my lip the answer was as cynical and bitter as it was ¡®If they ask... blame witchcraft.¡¯


    Pulling out one of the spare pins from my backpack I pricked the tip of my index finger. Not a deep jab, but just enough to get a tiny amount of blood as the wound would probably heal over in less than an hour.


    Too tiny to make a difference¡­ heck it was probably already healed up, but if I placed it against the orb¡­ It would be easy to tell if this thing was a fake or the real thing.


    ¡®Ash and Salt.¡¯ I thought to myself ¡®Why didn¡¯t I just skip the house and continue driving down the road?¡¯


    In resignation my finger gently poked the orb half expecting nothing to happen¡­ before the sharp pain and tug struck my finger causing me to wince in pain. The red blood didn¡¯t so much as smear, but instantly straightened out before it darkened to black. My own hand seemed to clench in pain as blood rapidly flowed across the entire sphere forming shapes, symbols, and things I tried not to focus on.


    Everything seemed to slow down as I could hear a clock in the distance. The sound of the grandfather clock ticking which each swing sounded more like a second being cut away from my life.


    Reality seemed to grow darker around me yet more focused as if the filters had been removed.


    My own gaze in the silver orb stared at me as my eyes had turned black.


    The lines twisted in the sphere forming around my own gaze¡­ around my own face seemingly etching the symbols upon it with each line growing closer to my eyes. The lines around it formed the image of an eye as it focused on me keeping me within it¡¯s gaze.


    ¡®Something inside all of us.¡¯ The voice spoke ¡®Something that sees what we see, hears what we hear¡­ ever so slightly controlling what we do to guide us ever closer¡­¡¯


    I shoved the shirt back over wiping away the blood, the ink, the nightmare that tried to plague my mind before taking a deep breath. It was real¡­ it was here¡­ and in some ways the knowledge that whatever tried to curse the girls¡­


    That somebody thought it would be safer toying with reality than messing with this blasted orb took a small weight off my shoulders while also being deeply unsettling.


    Taking a deep breath and shoving the orb back into the bottom of my backpack it was time for me to get out the tire replacement kit¡­ but that was when something that hadn¡¯t been there a few seconds ago caught my attention.


    A small hand puppet was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.


    I mean it looked like a hand puppet¡­ a small cheap gimmicky one that reminded me of a sock puppet only with a bird like mouth and four button eyes. One might even call it cute in a sense as the two small little arms waved out as if somebody had sowed them on as they were just there for show instead of actually holding anything.


    The puppet was staring at me before tilting its head in a manner you¡¯d find cute on a dog¡­ but the gap in the mouth was open revealing what looked like a human eye sticking right out of a severed human arm. The eye stared at me and blinked for a moment before I yanked the backpack away and pulled my gun out on it even if the gun was empty.


    The puppet suddenly shut its mouth and held the almost comical felt hands up. It might have even been cute if the memory of the human arm and eye didn¡¯t stand out as I hadn¡¯t seen this thing until after I touched the orb.


    Two thoughts ran through my head at that moment.


    The first was that the non-human entity seemed to be sentient or smart enough to recoinze and respond to having a gun shoved in its face.


    The second much more disturbing thought was when I realized that my car was set up as a trap.


    ¡°I made it specifically to ensure that you wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.¡± A faint female voice spoke filling me with dread.


    The sound of the trunk popping open caused me to struggle slipping on my backpack while also making sure that the orb didn¡¯t fall out of it. My hands struggled to keep the backpack secure as I also tried pulling out my (slightly illegal) stun baton out to deal with this new threat.


    Any thoughts about fighting died when it rose out of my trunk. The creature was large, covered in bits and scraps of cloth sewn together to form a ragged dress. It was tall and lanky¡­ almost unnaturally thin as the stick-like arms seemed more gaunt than what nature would have allowed as the creature directed it¡¯s gaze towards me.


    The face was covered in a porcelain mask as it looked almost fitting for a mad scientist to wear. The right side of the mask was whole and unbroken as various lenses stood off near the eye like some sort of steampunk or Victorian style of eyepiece to magnify something¡­ but the left side of the mask worried me.


    The porcelain mask was chipped, broken, and seemingly stitched back together as bits of raw leather like flesh seemingly bleed between the cracks. The left eye lacked the lens¡­ or an eye for that matter. There was no light¡­ no eye¡­ just an endless pit of darkness where an eye should have been.


    Somebody had stuffed an eldritch freaking monster in my car to follow or murder me after I spent the night in this accursed motel. Of course I hadn¡¯t escaped the problems from that blasted city!


    Was it any surprise that something found me considering that I had missed an entire week of trying to put as much distance between the city and myself!


    There was only one thing to do and that was see who sent it and how to kill it ¡°Oh¡­ I take it Aeth has sent you?¡±


    ¡°You did not ask that name last time. Who is she?¡± The monster spoke much to my confusion


    I heard the sounds of bags dropping as I glanced towards the others as they were frozen in terror. Alexandria was muttering under her breath, Scarlet held the items she had retrieved from the car to her chest¡­ and the woman with the knife was sitting in one of the police cars not moving¡­ but getting ready to flee at the first chance she got.


    I really couldn¡¯t blame her at this point. I probably would have already hit the gas and tried plowing through the gates by now.


    ¡°Last time?¡± I asked trying to figure out what it was.


    My mind raced through everything that it could be¡­ if it knew me then that left a short list of very dangerous people who probably wanted me dead. The fact that it hadn¡¯t gutted me on the spot made that list much shorter.


    ¡°Last time? What is that thing!¡± Rebecca hissed in fear before the monster turned to face her


    ¡°You can see me. You don¡¯t know my name, yet you can hear me, see me¡­¡± The creature turned its head towards the woman in question before looking back at me.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    I couldn¡¯t help, but shiver as the monster¡¯s neck twisted in an angle I had only seen owls be able to perform without breaking their neck ¡°And yet you don¡¯t know me... Is it the pact? Some relic? A curse or spell! Tell me!¡±


    Its hands reached around me only to suddenly pause before the creature slowly pulled them back. The body twitched along with its head as the creature was obviously irritated about something, but¡­ It didn¡¯t know. It had no idea and yet¡­ it wasn¡¯t natural.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked in growing dread as the other girls slowly slinked towards the police car as the creature¡¯s focus fell upon me.


    ¡°Who am I¡­ you ask as you still don¡¯t know¡­ no memories, no secrets, no knowledge of shooting me in the face!¡± The monster practically hissed pointing at the left side of the mask


    I was about to refute¡­ before slowly nodding in defeat ¡°That does sound like something I would do¡­¡±


    Want to know what the first rule of dealing with eldritch monsters is?


    Do not try flat out lying to their face especially when they know you are lying. Most don¡¯t understand when people try to trick it with careful word play, and the rest simply Do Not Care! Lying would only further tick it off instead of giving me time to figure out how to escape.


    ¡°They call me The Stitch Witch.¡± The monster spoke as it stared at me ¡°And yet the title still rings hollow to your ears.¡±


    The monster was angry, confused¡­ and not trying to kill me as it had no idea who I was. That left one of two possibilities ¡°And I take it that you¡¯re not allowed to kill me because of the pact we made. You don¡¯t kill me in exchange for¡­¡±


    ¡°Telling me why you shot me without knowing me.¡± The creature spoke pulling out a small trophy I didn¡¯t expect to see in the light of day.


    It was a mask¡­ a black gas mask with a golden faceplate and three red lenses. The line of thought made itself frighteningly simple as I realized why I would try shooting it point blank in the face if the monster thought I couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°I thought you were working for Akara.¡± I slowly replied as the monster paused for a second


    ¡°That is a new name you didn¡¯t speak before. You truly have lost your memory to have revealed a second name unspoken before.¡± The monster spoke in growing interest ¡°No fear, no doubt, and yet¡­¡±


    The creature never got to finish it¡¯s sentence as the police car hit it. The fact that I didn¡¯t even hear the car starting up much less achieve ramming speed showed just how focused I was on the monster before me¡­ and of the back seat car door opening up as Scarlet motioned me to get inside.


    Climbing into the car and slamming the door shut behind me the car drove back for a moment as the monster from before slowly rose back up as body parts snapped back into place. The mask glared at us as a green light seemed to blaze from inside focusing on the car.


    ¡°You hit me?¡± It spoke in disbelief ¡°You lack my name and yet you hit me?¡± The car pulled back as the engine started to reeve back up ¡°Ah of course¡­¡±


    The creature snapped it¡¯s fingers before holding its hand straight out as the car tried to ram it again. To my surprise the car went through the creature as if it was a ghost. It might not have been that bad if the creature¡¯s outstretched hand didn¡¯t suddenly become very solid when it hit my neck as the ghost witch was not pinning me to the roof of the car and strangling me.


    ¡°I think we lost it!¡± Rebecca shouted as she turned around only for the other girls to see me being strangled by it.


    ¡°A simple trick, but an interesting one nonetheless.¡± The monster spoke as the car didn¡¯t seem to affect her, but her hand had a nice solid grip on my throat as I struggled trying to breathe ¡°Yet you still hear me, see me, and feel my touch upon your flesh without the knowledge of my name.¡±


    One of the girls shouted in panic ¡°Where is it!¡±


    The monster chuckled ¡°I shall not kill you, but simply put you in a safe place. After all... I can¡¯t let you die from the trial ahead without the answer I seek.¡±


    Scarlet tore my backpack off and swung it around wildly. I had no idea if she was trying to hit the creature¡¯s hands, but she missed and swung it at the creature¡¯s face, shocking it and everyone who promptly screamed seeing the creature one moment¡­ and then the very sudden bump the car experienced.


    The creature was gone as I gasped for air looking out the back window as apparently that blow knocked the creature out of the car¡­ and the bump was the car running it over. This might have been a comforting bit of knowledge if it wasn¡¯t for the monster rising back up¡­ and simply wave me goodbye before brushing off it¡¯s dress.


    There was a grim sense of knowledge that it was almost expecting to see me again.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Rebecca cried out in shock again.


    ¡°I think it was the freaking Stitch Witch.¡± Scarlet practically shouted as she was staring at my backpack in disbelief


    Alexandria was holding her head as she kept shaking it ¡°No that can¡¯t be The Stitch Witch! We don¡¯t know her name so she can¡¯t harm us! We don¡¯t know her name so we couldn¡¯t have run her over with a car!¡±


    ¡°We ran her over twice!¡± The woman with the knife replied ¡°I mean the first time was lucky, but the second time?¡±


    ¡°No it had to be a fake because if that was the Stitch Witch then we¡¯d¡­ we would be¡­¡± She shivered almost lost in her own fears and doubts


    ¡°What was she talking about?¡± Scarlet spoke as everything went silent ¡°About you shooting her in the face and thinking she was someone else?¡±


    They all looked at me as I realized that it wasn¡¯t going to be easy pretending I didn¡¯t know anything at this moment. It was kind of hard to argue against them seeing a mythical monster they all feared go out of its way to strangle me when they tried to ram it with a car.


    ¡°Not a local and no idea what it was.¡± I replied trying to change the subject ¡°I have no idea how it went through the car to try and strangle me.¡±


    ¡°And your backpack hit it.¡± Scarlet replied not letting me off the hook.


    The car kept driving forward, but all eyes were on me. Telling them the whole truth would probably make them think I was crazy¡­ but magic curses and ghost strangling witches probably also counted as impossible, but for today it was merely improbable.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I got into a bad incident with a mafia group that employed¡­ non-human entities for less than ethical purposes.¡± I reluctantly replied as they watched with morbid attention ¡°The incident in question was me pushing one of their higher ranking members out of a skyscraper.¡±


    ¡°A skyscraper¡­¡± Rebecca spoke in disbelief ¡°As in¡­¡±


    ¡°He did one of those taunting speeches in one of those chairs with wheels.¡± The scene was almost fresh in my mind once again.


    He was mocking me. Taunting me about my inability to learn much less survive against the threats I had barely begun to understand. The only reason why he had even let me into the room was to feed his own ego. I barely knew anything about magic and he wanted to offer me a job only after hammering in how helpless I was as any attempts at trying to go up against him would fail horribly.


    Worst part of it was that he wasn¡¯t even doing this to me because I was a threat or an annoying thorn at his side.


    No.


    It was just to mess with Jack. He was using me as a minor nameless pawn just to get back at Jack for whatever he had did¡­ that I was a nameless red shirt placed before him to be sacrificed to prove to Jack just how powerful/dangerous that man really was.


    ¡°He just didn¡¯t expect me to shove him out the window¡­¡± I could still remember that look of disbelief on his face as he honestly didn¡¯t expect me to do it.


    The moment when the glass broke as he realized what had just happened as I watched him fall.


    The looks on their face didn¡¯t help as they seemed bothered by it ¡°To be fair I didn¡¯t expect him to survive the drop onto a three story condo down below. I learned the importance of head shots that day and that Akara has really good health insurance to make him have a full recovery.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what bothered them more at that moment. The fact I had pushed someone out of a tall building trying to murder someone¡­ or the fact that the person in question managed to survive.


    Honestly they shouldn¡¯t have believed any of it as they should have been trying to pick it apart or something while claiming that I was lying.


    I took the backpack from Scarlet and opened it up just a little before turning off the sphere as it was real¡­ and really annoying to deal with. All of their eyes were still focused on me as I needed something to pull out to give a half baked excuse besides the one object none of them needed to know about.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Alexandra spoke ¡°I mean to defend ourselves with? Besides looking for tall buildings... I mean are there any magic books, mystic scrolls, perhaps a staff stuff inside that backpack?¡±


    ¡°I had a friend who tried to help deal with some of the problems.¡± Pulling out the teaser baton and placing it in Scarlet¡¯s hand since she was the closest one ¡°She gave me this for self defense.¡±


    ¡°A shock baton?¡± Alexandra spoke in disbelief ¡°Nothing more¡­ esoteric?¡±


    The women who weren¡¯t driving stared at me in disbelief as they could believe a ghostly murder witch who could harm you if you knew her¡­ a men falling out of sky scrapers only to walk it off¡­ but a shock baton was where they drew the line?


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in disbelief ¡°In my personal experience guns, shock batons, and cars still have a pretty good effect against things that shouldn¡¯t exist. I mean the shock baton isn¡¯t the best weapon because you need to get up close, but¡­¡±


    There were a few groans and mutterings from the others expecting something more magical or perhaps a little less mundane looking. Well mundane compared to weapons to defend themselves against murderous eldritch ghost witches or something.


    Scarlet seemed to be the only one staring at the weapon ¡°So it¡¯s enchanted or something? I mean it did hit someone we shouldn¡¯t have been able to hit.¡±


    The groans and mutterings stopped as the logic of her statement suddenly made them look at the weapon in a new light. That was a bit confusing to me as¡­ they didn¡¯t realize something that simple? A baton is used to hit people and they didn¡¯t think that it might be used to hit monsters?


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s¡­ legal enough. A little bit modified, but easier to explain away than carrying something bigger than a handgun.¡± I informed them much to their disbelief ¡°Did you think I was carrying a wand or some sort of mystic sword? Magic doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°This is coming from the guy who was strangled by The Stitch Witch.¡± Rebecca spoke in an exaggerated tone ¡°The fact you can say that with a straight face makes me worry.¡±


    ¡°Looks like mom isn¡¯t half the witch she thought she was.¡± Alexandria spoke with a slight groan ¡°Though seriously¡­ you don¡¯t believe in magic?¡±


    My mouth opened up to say ¡®no¡¯ but my heart said ¡®yes¡¯ as there was quite a large difference between what they thought and what I knew to be face . The key word being logic and reality. Yes there were some things that went past our understanding, but when you broke it down¡­ you could see the logic behind it.


    It was a horrible twisted logic that was best left unknown, but it was more scientific than mystical magic finger twirling nonsense! There were no blood of virgins involved, no blood lines, and honestly you could treat it more along the lines of a field of science.


    People didn¡¯t really have a firm grasp on how computer programming and coding actually worked¡­ unless they actually knew or studied the subject. Otherwise you got people who thought the skull hacker GIF was the height of computer hacking that would instantly download everything and destroy the computer it was sent to.


    ¡°Twiddling fingers, fancy words, and broomsticks I don¡¯t believe in.¡± I replied in an honest answer ¡°Things that we don¡¯t understand or can¡¯t explain just yet¡­ that I believe in because once you see it¡­ it won¡¯t forget that you saw it.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t forget seeing the ghost witch who tried to strangle me and she wouldn¡¯t forget the human who shot her in the face with a handgun. That was all it really boiled down to honestly.


    I didn¡¯t say any more as they didn¡¯t ask. We ran into something that had tried to strangle me through a car¡­ something they thought that they knew. Something that didn¡¯t make sense to be, but one they thought they knew because of some witch that cursed them had implanted memories in their head to make them think they should believe it.


    Either I was horribly wrong about what was going in the town¡­ or their misconceptions were going to cause a ton of problems if anything else tried to attack us. Right now the plan was to get to the highway and drive as far away as we could.


    <hr>


    It had reached the middle of the day as everyone was getting tired of this place. Streets seemed to be blocked off at random and it always felt like a close shave as all it would take would be for one police car to pull us over before everyone was thrown in jail.


    The only stops we made were quick ones to the restroom and picking something up to eat. Even then that was only done as quickly as possible as it was hard not to be paranoid when the knowledge that the ¡®Stitch Witch¡¯ for a better lack of a name could pop up at any minute.


    Trying to distract ourselves was hard as the first few attempts at ¡®road games¡¯ didn¡¯t work out. They tried finding out any more information they could get from me which didn¡¯t help because the answers I gave them either conflicted with what they ¡®knew¡¯ or they weren¡¯t happy with the information I gave them.


    The attempts at guessing what they knew about magic went equally poorly as half of it seemed ripped straight out of fairy tales with fairy tale logic¡­ and the other half just vague ideas that none of them really understood, but it never seemed anything close to what I tried to guess.


    By the time we reached the highway it felt less like a question if we should stick together¡­ and more of a question on how the group was going to split up at the next town.


    Knife girl (whose name I still didn¡¯t know) didn¡¯t believe half of what I said and she planned on trying to figure out where ¡®home was¡¯ trusting her gut in directions. Alexandria on the other hand thought I was misguided¡­ but acknowledged that while I may not know much about the supernatural I did know how to hurt it.


    Which to be fair was the most important detail when something was trying to kill you.


    It was also why Scarlet didn¡¯t return the shock baton I had let her borrow on the grounds of ¡®Men should give women protection¡¯ which was just an excuse for her to keep the only confirmed weapon everyone knew about.


    Rebecca on the other hand was just going through her phone debating on what she should do. Unlike the others while she had memory issues she also had a phone with people she could call. They might not recognize her or even believe who she was¡­ and that made me feel a little bit sympathetic towards her plight.


    It was one thing to try to find who you were and what you lost¡­ it was another to know and question if one simple phone call would make everything better or if it would make things worse. She didn¡¯t know what her relationship with the people on the phone was and even then how could she convince them who she was if she didn¡¯t have any proof to prove she was who she claimed she was?


    Would it be easier on everyone to simply pretend you were dead?


    I tried to banish that thought and focused on what to do next. I had a limited amount of funds and resources as my first task would be buying or finding a new car¡­ and of course getting money for a new car. That or try seeing if the internet had any tips on how to paint a car while replacing its license¡¯s plate.


    The highway was just in sight as the car started to slow down much to everyone¡¯s growing disbelief and annoyance. The end of the city limits were just a few feet away practically within walking distance and yet it decided to die on us now!


    ¡°Did we spring a leak or something?¡± Rebecca asked with frustration seeping into her voice ¡°We just filled the gas tank an hour ago.¡±


    Everyone moved to get out of the car as the knife woman quickly went around and opened up the hood to inspect the car. None of us bothered her as we didn¡¯t know what was wrong¡­ but she acted as if she had a slightly better idea on how to fix this problem than the rest of us.


    It took her a few minutes to go through all of her attempts at checking what was wrong before circling around the car for a moment and starting it back up again. Everything seemed fine as the car continued driving forward until it was past the city limits before she stopped and motioned for us all to get inside.


    Of course that¡¯s when things started to go south as a burning sensation came across my wrists as I continued to move forward. The pain grew sharper as I tried to push past it only for my arms to be yanked back as I stopped unable to move forward. They stared at me in confusion as my wrists flared up in pain as the smell of smoke started to drift in the air.


    Alexandria was the first to move as she ran over to my side and pulled my sleeves back to reveal a new set of tattoos that I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to or really noticed until now. They looked like chains wrapped around my wrist, but they kept me from moving forward as the tattoos now burned as if they were on fire. The edges of cloth near the chains had been burnt and still smoked as if somebody had tried to light them on fire.


    ¡°Water.¡± She spoke, glancing back at the others ¡°I need a bottle of water.¡±


    They rushed back before somebody tossed her a bottle of water and tried pouring it on my wrists to wash the ink off. Instead the water hit the tattoos and began to instantly crackle and pop as if she was pouring water on hot iron. My mouth was clenched shut trying not to scream as the water was already turning into hot steam or burning my flesh a little before the entire bottle was emptied, but the chains still existed.


    She pushed me away from the car¡­ and back into the city limits as the pain began to die down.


    The others stared at me in disbelief as I could see it in their eyes¡­ doubt, confusion¡­ but most of all that willingness to leave me behind. Before I was an oddity¡­ then a commodity since I had a slightly better idea on how to hurt things they just found out existed. Now that I was at the ¡®end of my chain¡¯ it had made me a liability.


    ¡°Look we can figure this out.¡± She spoke as she kept staring at my wrists ¡°There has to be a counter-spell or some sort of way to release¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave him.¡± The knife wielding woman shouted ¡°He already has The Stitch Witch after him so leave him while we get to safety.¡±


    The other two girls already were going back to the car as they believed they couldn¡¯t do anything to help me and decided to leave before things got worse. Alexandria on the other hand looked as if they had just drop kicked a puppy.


    ¡°But he¡¯s¡­¡± She spoke in a desperate tone


    ¡°A guy and we are girls.¡± Rebecca countered ¡°He isn¡¯t one of us.¡±


    The vote had been set aside as the car started up. I sighed as while it left a bitter taste in my mouth it was hard not to see their cynical point. At this point my role was dead weight and they wanted to escape this place before it got them.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not failing a second time.¡± She spoke in growing desperation as she tore open her backpack ¡°There has to be something in this book¡­ something that you have or¡­ What about that stone?¡±


    She held her hand up as she pointed at the small pendant I had kept hanging off my backpack. My eyes widened in fear as one of them was slowly rising up and pointing off into the distance as I could hear a vehicle suddenly accelerating.


    ¡°Get in the car and drive away quickly.¡± I spoke as the only one who wasn¡¯t planning to ditch me stared at me in confusion as I handed her my nightstick ¡°Pop the bottom, turn it counterclockwise and press the button if you get in danger, but run now!¡±


    My own heartbeat quickened in fear as I was too late. One of them already found me because I lost a week of time¡­ because I spent the night at the wrong house.


    I saw my own fear reflected in her eyes as she didn¡¯t understand, but she nodded taking hold of the nightstick before turning around and running into the car as the door slammed shut behind her. The fear that had infected her had spread to the others as they didn¡¯t know what was going on¡­ but they knew something bad was about to happen.


    My phone rang as somebody was trying to call me as I picked it up ¡°Hello?¡±


    An elderly voice spoke ¡°If you want to survive you need to do what I say. When the police arrive, drop to the ground, surrender, and do not do anything foolish.¡±


    The request caught me by surprise ¡°The police are on their way now?¡±


    ¡°Yes they are on their way now and if you¡­¡± The voice snapped


    ¡°Good.¡± I spoke in sweet relief ¡°Hopefully they¡¯ll get here before he kills me.¡±


    There was an odd pause ¡°What? Your trial shouldn¡¯t start until¡­¡±


    The phone died as the cell phone jammer had already kicked in. Glancing behind my back I could hear the roar of a van trying to race down the highway and approach peek ramming speed for vehicular manslaughter as it screamed towards me. The police sirens rang off in the distance as I continued running for my life.


    The police cars stopped as a few dozen cops stepped out shouting as they pulled out their guns ready to shoot¡­ and then it happened. The van hit the line for where the city limits started and just¡­ spun into the air as if it had been struck by something¡­ or it struck something.


    There were no real words for the disbelief you experience seeing a van crash into nothing and just keep spinning forward and unable to move a single inch past the invisible line. The police were also stunned at the absurdity of the moment allowing me to get up close to the police line and jump face first into the ground trying to duck from anything hitting me¡­ and nothing happened.


    Looking up the police were still staring as I saw two more vans sitting off in the distance at the police line and the fallen burning van¡­ before they turned around and drove away. The was a mixture of relief and confusion as whatever was keeping me stuck in Willow¡¯s Hill was also apparently keeping me safe for some odd¡­ reason?


    I had no idea how it worked, but it had bought me a little bit more time to figure out how to escape¡­ before somebody figured out a way to get past the mystical barrier that kept me here before they figured out a way to break in.

 ch5

    One might think that being dragged into a police station and shoved inside an interrogation room would be a low point in one¡¯s day¡­ or life in general. The fact that they would treat me like a suspect with little to no information on me and some might even claim they were skipping a few legal actions that were making this illegal.


    The little details like not reading me my rights, letting me call for a lawyer, or even telling me what I was being charged with.


    Most people would find that to be a rather glaring issue, but not me. After all things get complicated when you add the supernatural into the mix and the most important detail that people tend to forget?


    It was the job of the police to keep people from killing you. It was a very important detail to keep track of when you had people trying to kill you. The second important detail was that they liked asking questions and they would let you know things.


    They might want answers that I don¡¯t have¡­ but at bare minimum I could figure out exactly where I was and just how much the local police force knew about the supernatural elements¡­ and how much danger I was in.


    ¡®You know¡­ I never really had to worry about cops until after I got involved with the supernatural.¡¯ I thought to myself ¡®Well I get normal cops who don¡¯t know¡­ or do cities have cops who have run into the supernatural nonsense?¡¯


    My fingers tapped the table as the car ride had rather been interesting. The cops came running preparing to capture somebody who was thought to be dangerous and then watching a vehicle hit a magical invisible for all to see threw them for a loop.


    They knew something was going on so it was just a question of how ¡®supernaturally aware¡¯ the police were¡­ or if a pair of black suit government goons had a special letter for which ¡®file¡¯ this report was going into.


    That or the old basic ¡®We do not really want to think about it¡¯ stick as the bottom of the barrel cops are sent in while everyone else tries to forget about what had been going on. Sometimes people preferred ignorance over wandering if what knocked over their trashcan was a racoon or some flesh eating monster.


    I could hear the sound of footsteps outside as I had to remind myself ¡°New Town. New Folks. No criminal record. They don¡¯t know you so keep the baggage to a minimum.¡±


    All I had to do was wait for them to pull my records. Have them ask ¡®How did I get to (insert location)¡¯ before I had to make up a plausible excuse. Then it was simply buying airplane tickets and figuring out how to get rid of these magical tattoo chains.


    ¡®Let them do the talking.¡¯ I told myself ¡®They have an idea. It''s your job to make it plausible without shooting yourself in the foot.¡¯


    The door cracked open as I nearly smiled until I took one look at the cops. They did not look like ¡®police officers¡¯ you would see on TV or something. No, these two cops looked like they belonged more to the Gestapo than underpaid police officers did little to ease my fears¡­ especially when an elder man who looked a few chuckles away from the grave walked into the room and sat across from me.


    Last really old person who gave a creepy vibe made me lose an entire week. So call me paranoid if the fact this old man seemed to have all of his marbles and the respect/fear of the Gestapo guards caused me to place my hands underneath the table.


    It was bolted to the floor of course, but it never hurt to duck underneath something hard and sturdy when you were prepared to do something stupid.


    The old man was wearing a black suit that might look home on a vampire as he placed a brief case onto the table before staring at me. He looked ancient, but not ¡®I am an old man¡¯ but the type of sharp mind that made you think he dabbled in necromancy to reanimate his own corpse or something.


    ¡°I want my lawyer.¡± were the first words that came out of my mouth.


    ¡°Your lawyer has already come to see you.¡± The Gestapo cop on the right spoke ¡°He has come to speak to you about your case.¡±


    These people are not cops. Cops do not wait until your lawyer who you didn¡¯t call or know before they interrogated you. In fact most of them tended to want answers like ¡®What in the world was that?¡¯ or the favorite ¡®Did you have something to do with this?¡¯


    Don¡¯t blame me for the bad stereotypes. Blame the supernatural for making things a lot worse/complicated as it is hard to file ¡®John got his face ripped off by a werewolf¡¯ in official normal/mundane office reports.


    ¡°I would like some privacy to speak with my client.¡± The old man replied having ignored my request


    The Gestapo cops left the room despite my protest as the old man opened up his briefcase pulling out a few pieces of paper. Honestly I was expecting some semblance to the legal process, but maybe that only applied in America¡­ or when obvious supernatural nonsense didn¡¯t happen in front of everyone to see.


    Sort of a coin toss between the two.


    ¡°Do you know why you have been brought here?¡± The old man asked as he shut the briefcase


    If I was foolish I would have said ¡®Because you want something from me and the obvious flaunting of the legal system should be the least of my concerns right now¡¯ which while true¡­ didn¡¯t exactly give me any information.


    ¡°This is where you inform me on what is going to happen¡± I slowly replied letting the fear seep into my voice ¡°Or else... something bad is going to happen to me?¡±


    Some people would try to put on a brave face and stand defiant towards their opponents¡­ those people generally had backplans, safety nets, or were too stupid to relaize how bad things could get. I on the other hand knew just how fragile human beings could be.


    More importantly I knew that sometimes letting your opponent think he has the advantage over you helps when you need to catch them off guard.


    Case in point was the smug grin the creepy old man wore as he didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to what my hands were doing underneath the table. If things went south¡­ Catching him off guard was going to be my best shot.


    After all there was clearly something off about him. Not the combed back white hear or that damn smirk on his face as he straightened up his papers before staring at me like he caught me trying (and failing) to steal a cookie from a cookie jar.


    You do not let two large bodyguards leave the room when there are no cameras to make sure nothing bad happens to the ¡®lawyer¡¯ and their prisoner. There should have been a one way mirror instead of four walls¡­ but most of all the lawyer shouldn¡¯t remind me of a lich with skin covering his bones.


    Like the late crypt keeper the old man spoke with a mocking tone ¡°It is because Agatha Willow wanted you here¡­¡± He glanced at me for a few moments as if letting it sink in ¡°And considering you are a male with those chains around your wrist¡­ that makes you the one holding her will or you know where her daughters will pick up their inheritance.¡±


    Just being reminded about it caused my hands to rub my wrists more in irritation of the chains binding me to this place. Still I got one detail that I needed as apparently they were after whatever this ¡®inheritance¡¯ is.


    ¡®Supernatural elements of this place know about the girls.¡¯ I thought to myself ¡®Yet they don¡¯t know about there being four females and one male. So the ghost witch might not be working with them¡­ small mercies.¡¯


    Still this didn¡¯t seem too different than what I had been used to dealing with these past few years. Somebody within the supernatural community died and now everybody else wanted to claim the object for themselves.


    Only problem was that legally someone else owned¡­ and they didn¡¯t care. Either they found a legal means through blackmail and threats of violence. That or they just killed whoever next was in line until they got to legally own it¡­ or just out right steal it.


    ¡°Look I have no idea what you are talking about¡­¡± Which was the truth ¡°I just took the wrong turn and got stuck here.¡±


    It was at this moment he placed a stack of papers in front of me.


    This should have been the part where I complained¡­ shouted¡­ said a snappy comeback or something, but the words on the paper made my blood run cold as I tried to ignore it. The old man was pulling my chain and trying to trick me as it would be child¡¯s play to make up some false information and pretend it was real.


    ¡°It was fine work really.¡± The old man replied ¡°Erasing evidence that you existed, removing all records so that anyone who might have known you couldn¡¯t find you. The Witch of the Hill keeps her daughters hidden and the one they only need to contact the one person when they get back¡­ is also hidden from all records.¡±


    He had to be lying, but a part of me didn¡¯t have any reason for why he would be lying about this. If anything they should have been lording over knowing who I was and where to apply their less than subtle threats.


    His fingers drummed against the briefcase ¡°No ID, no papers, no work history or record that you even existed. All of this done so that you would be hidden away until they returned when the heat died down¡­ or when they are called back to this place.¡±


    I ignored his grandiose speech as he dronned on. My concern wasn¡¯t the four girls who booked it out of town¡­ no it was the fact that they should have found something about me by now.


    They had my fingerprints, my face, probably bits of my DNA to run through some government machines or something now that the Supernatural folks bumped up my spot in list of priorities. I was expecting them to pull out my life history and ask the big ¡®damning question¡¯ instead of¡­ finding nothing at all.


    ¡®I have spent a lot of time being as evasive about who I was¡­ who I am¡­ and now they claim they have nothing on me!¡¯ I practically snarled in the back of my mind ¡®If this was The Spire then Akara or worse¡­ Nyte would already be making bargains and threats. If this was back home then they would be able to find me with ease!¡¯


    The old man continued droning on about making some sort of grandiose speech or something about the girls. Honestly I had no idea who they were and I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they left and are not planning on returning.¡± I informed the old man to his disbelief ¡°Seriously why come back here at all! Right now you make it sound as if the entire town is getting ready to string them up.¡±


    He blinked apparently caught off guard ¡°You seriously can¡¯t believe that.¡±


    I looked at him straight in the eyes as I could feel my own anger starting to boil ¡°I don¡¯t even want to be here! Heck if I were them I¡¯d be buying plane tickets and leaving the country!¡±


    Why go back to the place with a ghostly murder witch and what might possibly be the local witch hunter with a very large pull on the local police force. Heck people had fled from their homes for less sane reasons!


    To my own surprise he glared at me and directed my attention to the other stacks of papers that I had apparently failed to notice. The ones that didn¡¯t involve me, but the four mystery girls who managed to escape this city.


    If I needed any proof to confirm that this man was in the supernatural part of this place as the papers were of the other girls¡­ only most of the information was missing.


    Not blacked out or redacted, but more like¡­ entire sections of the papers had been left blank as ink slowly appeared on the page filling in the details as if by¡­ magic. The type of tricks you¡¯d see low grade magicians in Kornea use to trick new residents as a grand display of ¡®magic¡¯ to them.


    He thought I didn¡¯t know about magic which was both useful¡­ and kind of insulting.


    Useful because it allowed me to slip out a pen from my jacket sleeves to start doodling on the bottom of the table. Insulting because it meant he didn¡¯t recognize a single object the police had taken from me.


    ¡°Though I do expect the information on one of those sheets to change by the end of tonight.¡± He informed me opening up his briefcase again ¡°Alaeros will have his eyes set on one of them for their trial and they are far too inexperienced to survive one set by him especially... considering the circumstances.¡±


    I nodded my head as Alaeros was a name I was going to have to write down. Possibly a magical mob boss or something who got annoyed that Agatha Willow just ¡®magic¡¯ up a bunch of daughters possibly cheating him out of her will or something.


    So without anything else I decided to ask a stupid question ¡°What exactly did these girls do to make you send a hit man after them?¡±


    The creepy old man stared at me in surprise before letting out a soft chuckle ¡°Kill them? Oh trust me when I say that we would all be better off if they were all dead¡­ but Alaeros has different priorities. Others would fault him for it¡­ but while annoying at it maybe I cannot say that I would do differently in his place.¡±


    The old man looked into his briefcase as a hint of sorrow filled his voice ¡°The witch had cut him deep¡­ and while childish it maybe, it is the temptation to make the pain he suffered not a complete loss¡­ and to give it meaning now that fate has dangled a small string of hope right in front of his nose...¡±


    The seconds dragged on as¡­ I had no freaking idea what he was talking about. The doodle was nearly complete, but it was just a matter of buying more time and trying to figure out what exactly was going on.


    The problem was that the old man started staring at me as if noticing that I still didn¡¯t get his cryptic word play which made it harder to get a read on him.


    Once the doodle was complete I slipped the pen back into my sleeve before trying to figure out what exactly was going on. The girls claimed that they had been victims of the old witch¡¯s curse¡­ but was it more likely that they were only pretending in an attempt to have me help them escape.


    ¡®But if that is the reason then why ditch me?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help, but think ¡®They could have ditched me with the eldritch ghost witch was threatening me. If ditching me was always the plan then why didn¡¯t the police simply keep chasing after them with cars and helicopters or something?¡¯


    Heck the only reason why the police cars seemed to have been thrown off the trail was due to the magical exploding Van when it rammed the invisible city limits wall¡­ which was about as subtle as a blow horn to the ear.


    The old man¡¯s fingers drummed on the table as I took a look at the other five stacks of paper that had been placed before me. Four of the five stacks of paper had pictures of each one of the girls including a few details, and possible personal history for the girls who supposedly had not existed until today.


    ¡®Yet the motel rooms vanished overnight.¡¯ A paranoid whisper of doubt echoed in the back of my mind ¡®The house had changed over night. The bodies were missing¡­ the girls showed trouble trying to remember who they were. One girl claimed to be someone else until¡­¡¯


    I focused on the papers as flesh and mind alterations were possible. Twisting of the flesh to make new faces, bodies, and identities was plausible. Subtle alterations to the mind (which usually broke the Big Seven) could be done with proper time, planning¡­ and sometimes easier if you didn¡¯t care about side effects or memory loss affecting the patient/victim.


    I tried to think about it logically as maybe it was possible to write with ¡®invisible ink¡¯ and stuff the papers in a government building to forge identities for these girls so that the ¡®records of their identities¡¯ would appear after the deed had been done?


    Yet if that was the case then what was wrong with unlucky number five?


    This one had the picture, but the words were slowly being erased as if in reverse as what few details in it were suddenly being murdered in its crib before life could take shape, grow, and live.


    Missing Number Five.


    The Heir who got shot in the head before I was picked to be their replacement.


    I wanted to pretend that it didn¡¯t matter, but my paranoia was kicking in¡­ especially since I lacked any means to protect myself if they thought ¡®shooting the loose end¡¯ would have been a good idea.


    ¡®Think logically. Find the answer.¡¯ my thoughts focused on my own missing information ¡®But most of all make sure they don¡¯t kill you just to be safe.¡¯


    ¡°So how about we skip to the main issue here.¡± The old man spoke snapping me back to reality ¡°The witch probably lied and whatever she promised you will not hold up when her heirs come to claim what they desire.¡±


    ¡®What I currently desire is a way out of here.¡¯ I bitterly thought to myself ¡®So unless that involves plane tickets it isn¡¯t worth much. I already am trying to run away with something far more valuable than whatever babble or trinket you are after.¡¯The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The fact I didn¡¯t respond right away seemed to annoy him ¡°If it was something as juvenile as one of their hands in marriage¡­ then I can assure you that the ¡®honeymoon¡¯ will be a short and deadly one as Heirs of the Hill do not share.¡±


    ¡°Marriage?¡± I snapped in confusion ¡°What in the world are you talking about? I don¡¯t even know their real names! Why the heck would I want to marry one of them?¡±


    He stared at me in confusion as if not wanting to marry them was odd ¡°Really? I mean if you give it some time a few memories will try and fill in your gaps¡­¡±


    It was stupid, but anger surged through my veins as I realized what they were doing. They were probably trying to recreate the witch¡¯s curse to try and get a lead on these girls and were using me as a guinea pig.


    They were breaking the Second Law for a freaking clue!


    My hands slammed hard on the table as I screamed out in anger ¡°My name is Dais! I came from Kornea with a K, or maybe you are one of those people who prefer Korona or Lyonesse?¡±


    Everybody had a name for the city of the lost.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything the old lady left me besides these things¡± I motioned to my wrist ¡°And if you remove them I will gladly leave this screwed up place right away!¡±


    ¡°Without even a second thought about what has been offered?¡± The old man spoke, not believing a word I was saying.


    The fact he didn¡¯t even react to the names I gave or reference to The Spire told me just how little this lawyer actually knew of the supernatural world. They thought that someone who didn¡¯t even know the basics would have anything to offer to me?


    It was at this point that I couldn¡¯t help, but feel the urge to set off the magical trap I had placed upon the table just to prove a point ¡°I don¡¯t care! I have better places to be! Just replace my tires, remove these chains on my wrist, and give me back my stuff so that I can go back to¡­¡±


    I stopped myself from saying where I wanted to go just in case anyone who I had been running from wanted to double check where I might be going¡­


    That and I didn¡¯t feel anything off about my mind. No false memories, no twisting thoughts or¡­ anything. Fear started to slowly creep into my stomach as staying within this cursed city sounded worse with each growing second.


    I hated trying to play stupid ¡°I mean this is the USA and not England or Norway right?¡± I chuckled nervously as I glanced at the door behind him ¡°If not then I¡¯d like to get on the first airplane off this continent.¡±


    The old man stared at me in growing confusion as apparently he didn¡¯t believe that I was being completely serious about wanting to leave. If anything this ¡®curse¡¯ just showed that I should add this city to the list of places I should never return to!


    Leaving by car would be good, but the growing impression that simply running away by foot sounded just as appealing the moment the magical nonsense chains were removed from my wrists!


    ¡°My name is Avarus Kazlut.¡± The name was spoken with a hint of a smirk and smugness as he watched my eyes for any hint of recognition.


    The name didn¡¯t ring any bells nor did I really care about who the man was since he obviously couldn¡¯t help me. Maybe it was a threat or possibly some title marking his status or something¡­ but the lack of recognition seemed to be the part that finally made him realize just how little I knew.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He paused looking a little bit hurt that I had no idea who he really was ¡°You really have no idea on what¡¯s going on do you?¡±


    I felt like face palming as it should have been obvious considering how I didn¡¯t even seem to know who anyone he had been talking about or referring to was.


    ¡°I have no freaking idea on what is going on.¡± I replied in full honesty ¡°Does that mean I can go?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± The old man spoke annoyed that I said such a thing ¡°It just means we have to hold you for ¡®questioning¡¯ until we figure out the right question to ask.¡±


    This was where someone in my position probably should have complained, but that would be a waste of my breath as it was obvious he wasn¡¯t going to listen to me. He simply rose up and walked out the door before the very audible sound of him or his Gestapo thugs locking the door behind him.


    They were leaving me in a locked empty room to rethink my opinion until they figured out exactly what they wanted to ask me even if this entire mess was probably illegal. Still they didn¡¯t ask about the mafia¡­ the van exploding¡­ or if there were any other survivors besides the ¡®five¡¯ girls they were hunting.


    I rubbed my aching head and muttered ¡°Okay let''s sort out the facts.¡±


    Fact number 1? They had no idea of Kornea so he didn¡¯t exactly have any leverage to pull on. Fact number 2? They didn¡¯t question the exploding Van and seemed dead focused on finding the girls¡­ they didn¡¯t even bother asking if anyone else survived the night the crazy old lady cursed us...


    Which really didn¡¯t bold well since good people would ask about other survivors.


    They simply didn¡¯t care.


    Still it would only be a matter of time before he started fielding the right questions¡­ or started messing with things that were best left alone. They still had all of my belongings and all it took was one carless idiot to mess with something they really shouldn¡¯t be touching.


    With that last horrifying thought in the back of my mind it was time to be prepared for the next train wreck to arrive.


    ¡®Bright side?¡¯ I thought to myself as I took off my jacket ¡®They didn¡¯t bother trying to search me for any hidden items.¡¯


    It was also the main reason why I didn¡¯t try escaping right away. The problem with being a magician was needing prep work and timing. Oh sure I could have tried escaping at that moment, but there was still a room full of fully armed police officers with guns who could shoot me outside that door.


    No¡­ I needed time to prepare for a proper escape.


    Opening up all of the hidden pockets and pouches I had. It was simply a matter of trying to figure out how many supplies I had on me¡­ and what I could do without possibly getting myself killed. Even if I had a few more supernatural toys than they had been preparing for¡­ I still wasn¡¯t bullet proof.


    Thankfully my prior paranoia packing supplies had been done to this jacket as I had managed to pull out a small pen with a rather unique source of ink, and two trusty notepads out before deciding to get to work.


    A magician¡¯s work is never done after all.


    <hr>


    Time had slowly continued to tick by without the Gostupo guards and the creepy old man marching back into the room. Maybe they actually forgot about me and the regular cops would let me free¡­ or maybe I was being too optimistic.


    Either way more time meant more prep work for me to apply my magic tricks.


    Magic was a tricky thing¡­ my magic not the magical witchy nonsense brand. It was flexible, yet inflexible¡­ it had rules, but it also gave some room for error to help one improve or find ways to get around problems.


    If I had to describe it then it would be a mixture of Art and Programming. An odd combination for sure, but there was a bit of logic behind the madness¡­ or people before me working on the craft forced a semblance of logic into the madness.


    You could make a burst of flames from a run or somehow twist the laws of how gravity worked with a pair of sticky notes. You could leave a pair of ink drawn markings on your boots that when pressed together could slow your descent from breaking your legs to a soft landing¡­ while having no idea how the whole ¡®physics¡¯ worked.


    Though if you messed up you might be shooting straight up, not slowing your descent fast enough¡­ or accidentally causing a magical backlash that cost your legs.


    ¡®It''s why people made staves and flying brooms.¡¯ I joked in the back of my mind as I slapped the seals onto the bottom of my shoes ¡®To keep a good few feet away from their faces when they had to slap together something instead of making something proper within a safe workshop or lab.¡¯


    Then again that was half the trick of being a magician¡­ finding ways to hide a few tricks up your sleeves (sometimes literally) and using a bit of smoke and mirrors to hide the real magic in the art.


    They thought they had disarmed me leaving me helpless. Now I continued to pretend I was helpless as I bobby trapped the table, chairs, and added a few extra bits of protection to my clothing that should (hopefully) keep me intact if they open fire on me.


    I just needed to slip out of the police station if things went downhill and use some old tricks to slip into an airport and onto the first airplane leaving this city.


    ¡®Same rules like last time.¡¯ I thought to myself ¡®Pretend to be a whole lot less dangerous¡­ then a whole lot more. Keep throwing down as many tricks you have up your sleeves while you try to survive their tricks.¡¯


    The problem was that I was still having to trust what I slapped on my shoes to keep me from breaking my own legs when I jumped out the window. I didn¡¯t like those odds especially when people started trying to shoot me but...


    But sometimes low odds were better than no odds at all.


    I could hear footsteps outside the hallway causing myself to slip the notebook back into my pocket and try my best to hide a sheet of paper and my trusted pen inside my sleeve.


    Maybe I could pretend to doodle and they might not realize what I¡¯m actually doing? They didn¡¯t recognize Korena so maybe they don¡¯t know about my little ¡®art tricks¡¯ just like the girls didn¡¯t recognize half the stuff I warned them about?


    Just a few bits of paper, ink, and a small collection of minor magical tricks to keep me alive. If I survived this mess... I was going to find some way to secretly conceal a firearm on me¡­ or some sort of sturdy weapon.


    Sadly for me none of the insurance I had prepared was going to save me right now. My self-appointed ¡®lawyer¡¯ came back into the room with three new guests. The first was a very annoyed cop who looked at me with utter disdain as if I had personally offended him by simply existing.


    The second was a younger woman roughly around her twenties? She was wearing black jeans, a black jacket, one red shirt¡­ but I marked her as one of the mystical members due to the black witch¡¯s hat on her side and the fact she was holding a wooden magical looking staff in one hand and a silver bracelet around her left hand.


    The silver bracelet had some sort of glowing blue magical looking lettering inscribed along the side and the slightly unnaturally blue glow around it was the biggest sign that this was an obviously magical item which either played by different rules I was used to or the girl read too many fantasy genre books.


    The staff wasn¡¯t any better as the long wooden staff with that slightly gnarled appearance with branches tangling into each other to make a small spot at the top to hold something¡­ put I¡¯d expect it to be used more for cosplay than for someone to actually use it in a fight.


    I had seen magicians use staves, but it was always with the understanding that sometimes (far more than I¡¯d like) you would need to swing it at something to prevent something nasty from trying to rip your face off¡­ not try to win a cosplay contest.


    If the third guest hadn¡¯t been there I actually would have tried escaping the room.


    The moment I saw her I knew the odds weren¡¯t in my favor. Heck I wasn¡¯t even sure if I had a feasible plan to flee as the murderous eldritch ghost witch thing who nearly towered over the others had to bend slightly to prevent her head from hitting the ceiling.


    The same murderous eldritch ghost witch who survived being shot in the head and ran over by a car was standing inside this very small room with me.


    One look into the hallway revealed that some people who didn¡¯t seem to notice that anything was wrong and others who stared at the third guest in utter dread, while trying very hard not to stare lest she notice their attention.


    It was akin to noticing a bear outside your house and praying that it wasn¡¯t going to break down your door. If you ignored it you were probably safe as it stole your garbage¡­ probably being the key word here.


    The door slowly shut behind them as the false lawyer adjusted his tie ¡°Is this the one?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Stitch Witch replied her voice sounding like a harsh echoing whisper ¡°He was the one who shot me.¡±


    ¡®And there goes my shot at being written off as a luckless fool¡¯ I bitterly thought to myself


    The cop stared at me in disbelief as the woman tried to avert her gaze. The lawyer simply nodded as he wrote it down before clearing his throat ¡°How do you wish to proceed Ms¡­¡±


    The words in his throat died as the Stitch Witch held up her index finger. I couldn¡¯t help, but stare at the long boney limb¡­ it looked human or more human than what I was used to dealing with, yet everyone else was petrified as if she had pulled out a grenade or something.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know my name and I wish for him to ask me for it when he wants something from me instead of dealing with these more¡­ troubling times.¡± She spoke much to the confusion of the others ¡°I did promise I would not kill you and sadly you have gotten yourself in a lot of trouble¡­ Magician.¡±


    There was almost a hint of mischief in those last words yet I was still a bit terrified as I was still trying to figure out what I was dealing with. Everyone else seemed more surprised that I could notice her without her name.


    As if not knowing her name wouldn¡¯t somehow make it impossible to notice the large eldritch creature that kept her gaze focused solely on me! Seriously how could I not notice her considering how her very presence seemed to fill up the room as her constant focus reminded me of one of those lions you see in the zoo¡­


    Only without any gates, metal bars, or deep pits to keep the very large and hungry lion that was currently licking its lips as it stared at you.


    ¡°I did apologize for shooting you.¡± I quickly replied as she continued to stare at me ¡°Though¡­ the car¡­ that wasn¡¯t my fault, but in my defense you did try to strangle me.¡±


    There was a slight grunt of annoyance making it clear she didn¡¯t agree with that assessment. Then again I wasn¡¯t the one who hit her with the car since it was ¡®knife girl¡¯ who had decided to hit her the first time¡­ and the witch¡¯s own fault for being run over a second time.


    ¡°The Trial is happening soon so I decided to pull some strings as per our¡­ agreement.¡± She spoke placing a hand on the police officer who froze in fear.


    It showed you just how dangerous she was that everyone else tried (and failed) to not stare at the police officer who did his best to pretend that her hand wasn¡¯t sinking into his shoulder. That already marked her as the most dangerous threat if everyone else was more afraid of her as an ally then me as a possible threat.


    So now I couldn¡¯t even bluff about being ¡®even more dangerous than they could possibly imagine¡¯ because they certainly feared her a heck of a lot more than possible threat they might think I might be.


    A hint of amusement seeped into her voice ¡°This Council Member shall speak on behalf of the city. A pact¡­ one agreeing to you following the law to the best of your ability, in exchange for the city not murdering you.¡±


    They stared at the Stitch Witch in disbelief while I¡­ it felt like I was walking into a trap, because this sounded way too good to be true¡­ while also horrifying. They weren¡¯t looking just for the Witch Heirs¡­ but it was now confirmed that they planned to kill them and I was locked in a building full of police officers who would shoot me dead unless I went through with their deal.


    I ran to the police so that I wouldn¡¯t be surrounded by people who wanted to shoot me dead! Now I was being told that apparently they had a good reason to try and kill me now!


    ¡°And what¡¯s the catch?¡± I asked despite knowing that I couldn¡¯t refuse it


    They stared at me seemingly confused by my reaction before the monster chuckled ¡°Oh just a minor favor for one day. You seemed so keen on it the night you made the Pact with me¡­ that I figured it would be a minor detail.¡±


    The rude chuckle from the police officer made it clear that this ¡®minor detail¡¯ was going to be a lot more dangerous than she was leading me to believe¡­ or a lot more messed up than I could imagine right now.


    She cleared her throat while tightening her grip on the police officer who flinched ¡°We can talk about it after you agree to the Pact with the Council Representative Member before you.¡±


    Sighing in defeat I held out my hand as the cop stared at it in disbelief¡­ before smiling as he took the limb and grabbed it. My hand began to hurt as the man wasn¡¯t holding it tightly in an attempt to intimidate me, but to prevent me from letting go as he pulled out a book from his pocket.


    He spoke with a hint of sadistic glee as he said ¡°For being the Witch of the Hill¡¯s heir you and all extended family members are sentenced to¡­¡±


    There was a small pop as his grip grew tighter for a moment¡­ before he suddenly fell over. The book in his hand burning and the lawyer¡¯s phone ringing as the Stitch Witch pulled off one of those old cartoonish witch cackles that rattled your bones as a child.


    Only this time there was a much more sinister mocking vibe that echoed down your bones as you realize that somebody made a horrible mistake. Though to my surprise for once¡­ it was the other party that had made the horrific mistake.


    ¡°Did he seriously try and cheat a Pact!¡± I shouted in sheer disbelief


    The others stared at the dead stiff in disbelief as I glanced at the witch in question who seemed to be whipping away the (non-existent) tears from her eye as everyone else was nearly freaking out.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± The woman spoke in horror


    She pressed her back against the wall as if expecting the body to suddenly explode or reanimate into a zombie. The lawyer rubbed his neck looking a bit uneasy as the sheer almost psychotic glee the dead cop wore thinking he could cheat a Pact.


    A Pact of all things!


    The lawyer frowned ¡°I believe this is for you¡­¡±


    The Stitch Witch took the phone as the cop was dead¡­ my own eyes focused on the burning book now reduced to a pile of ash.


    ¡°What happened?¡± The woman repeated in mild horror.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed ¡°He literally tried breaking a Pact the mere second after we shook hands.¡±


    The other too looked at me in disbelief as the Stitch Witch just hummed one of those twisted nursery rhymes as I rubbed my sour hand. The fact that this threw them for a loop might be useful if I could simply repeat the same pact before they caught on¡­ or would that not work?


    Shaking my head I continued to explain ¡°You think eldritch beings care about whatever fancy legal loopholes or wording of a contract you try to trick them with! Guess what? They don¡¯t. At best they only care about the spirit of the Pact¡­ at worst they take offense at you trying to cheat it.¡±


    I huffed in irration as I saw two more of the hand puppet creatures moving across the floor acting like a small film crew¡­ probably recording the world fastest Pact Rebound that would probably become a world record.


    ¡°Seriously you should be happy that the backlash only affected him rather than¡­¡± I paused as they were now staring at me in mild horror ¡°Instead of everyone who might have gone along with his crazy plan...¡±


    I let the words hang as I wasn¡¯t sure if they were bound by the Pact and its rebound¡­ or if they might simply opt for calling the cops outside the door to shoot me.


    ¡°Yes your insurance plan is gone.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke out loud causing everyone¡¯s attention to focus on her ¡°He made the pact. It just didn¡¯t work out in your favor just like I told you.¡±


    She lifted up her robes a little as dozens of the little hand puppet creatures crawled out from underneath grabbing the dead body and pulling underneath the folds of her robes.


    The fact that the entire human body disappeared so easily meant there was something extra supernatural about those robes¡­ and an extra level of horror since there were no dead bodies found at the house. It was never a good sign when the supernatural collected dead bodies.


    I knew that from personal experience.


    None of the others stopped her as the woman with the staff just kept glancing back at the Stitch With and then me. The lawyer on the other hand simply pulled out a plastic bag and began to sweep the ashes of the book into it.


    As if someone preserving the ashes of a book was more important than asking what the Stitch Witch was going to be doing with the dead body! I don¡¯t know what rules this town ran by, but a lot of people tended to ask questions when three people went in a room and only two people left.


    The Stitch Witch chuckled as she spoke deeply into the cell phone ¡°Ban the use of Illnaria... I chose him because he was the one who decided to make a very large shipment legal and he offended me. If you do not accept my terms then I shall not bother to even attempt to salvage this situation.¡±


    Did¡­ did this woman seriously use me to kill this man with a Pact Rebound to prove a point? Better yet what exactly had this ¡®Council¡¯ done to make this Witch earn their ire? To make her let them think that they could pull some legal loophole nonsense to murder me without me being allowed to harm them in return?


    Eldritch creatures sometimes didn¡¯t understand tricks of legal word play or tricking people into assuming the wrong thing¡­ that meant for better and for worse¡­ this Stitch Witch was closer to human¡­ and far more devious.


    There was a moment of silence before she let out a soft mocking laughter ¡°Good.¡±


    Snapping the cell phone shut she glanced at me as I felt the full weight of her presence bearing down upon me. The slow dread you got when you knew something bad was going to happen, yet you knew that there was nothing in your power to stop it.


    ¡°You lack history, a name, meaning.¡± The Stitch Witch slowly spoke.


    Her pressure grew as I tried to open my mouth to argue only for an eldritch force to practically seal my tongue against the roof of my mouth preventing me from speaking.


    ¡°I grant you the name Kravos.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke as she pressed her fingers against the tattoo chains upon my arm as they hurt when she touched them ¡°History, details, records. In exchange you must keep this woman alive until tomorrow.¡±


    The lawyer nodded as he placed a stack of papers onto the table ¡°Here are you new registration papers, social security number, and job history. You will be held under police protection for the duration of the night. We shall look into safe passage for leaving the city first thing in the morning.¡±


    Once the creepy eldritch ghost witch removed her grip upon my arm I couldn¡¯t help, but rub them both in the response to the searing moment of pain that had vanished once she removed her touch upon my flesh¡­ and also to try and figure out why they hurt when she touched them?


    Still the lawyer just produced a new set of documents with ¡®Kravos¡¯ (no last name) with an entire work history that seemed to be mostly odd jobs¡­ while also somehow subtly suggesting that not all of the jobs had exactly been ¡®legal¡¯ so to speak.


    ¡°Wait you can¡¯t just¡­¡± The woman with the staff spoke in horror.


    The Stitch Witch turned around as everyone went silent. The room seemed to get colder with each passing minute as the creature slowly gripped the chin of the young woman and forced her to stare into the empty eye socket of the Stitch Witch.


    ¡°I will not lose you.¡± She hissed ¡°The old hag cursed every heir on her deathbed. Live tonight and then we can discuss about your future.¡±


    Then without another word she simply walked through the wall as if it wasn¡¯t there leaving me with the new person I was supposed to protect tonight¡­ along with the slow dread that something horrific was going to happen.


    On the bright side I wasn¡¯t going to be killed by the police which was¡­ sort of nice.


    The woman stared at me as the lawyer rose up from his seat ¡°If you have any further questions than I suggest you try and work out an agreement with her. I hope you have a pleasant night.¡±


    The odd lawyer left the room leaving me with a confused witch¡­ and the knowledge that something was going to try and murder both of us tonight.


    Sometimes I hated my life.

 Ch6

    A wise man one said ¡®Never ask how things can get worse. Fate simply takes it as a challenge.¡¯


    I completely believe whoever made that line as not only did I have no idea what was going on¡­ but now the people in charge seemed to be doing their very best to ensure that I had no idea what was going on while putting me in as much danger as possible.


    Something about me being a ¡®Heir of the Hill¡¯ and the resident boogyman (or woman in this case) had decided to force them to not kill me while one of the people in charge died from a Pact Rebound.


    Regular people would have cut their losses and simply accepted the new task¡­ or did their best to try and kick me out of the city. Due to the whole ¡®if you try to murder me, then you die first¡¯ deal.


    Sadly for me when these people thought ¡®Magical Pact¡¯ they went with Fae Logic¡­ which meant they removed me from the very safe, fortified, and filled with police officers wielding guns to shoot anyone who might try to kill me.


    In exchange they quite literally dumped me inside a warehouse full of plastic chairs and tables. As an added bonus they made sure it was located on the ¡®wrong side¡¯ of the city far from the public in an attempt to limit civilians getting caught in the crossfire¡­ or to limit witnesses.


    I was leaning toward the second one after the two ¡®bodyguards¡¯ pulled out a metal chain and used those to ¡®lock the door¡¯ while placing their chairs near the only exits. One was a small door which we had used to get into the building as the other was the rather large door meant for trucks to drive into the warehouse to be loaded up or unloaded of their stuff.


    While most of those tiny details (and lack of protection provided by an entire police force inside the police department) could be over looked as their attempts at ¡®magic¡¯ was essentially drawing circles on the ground with salt.


    The real kicker was how they talked to each other without even attempting to hide the conversation from me.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this is a waste of time.¡± The driver who dumped me here spoke ¡°We should just toss him in a basement and just lock the door. That¡¯ll be enough to fulfill our end of the pact.¡±


    He didn¡¯t give me a name and he dressed not like a police officer, but more like his uniform came from a costume party shop from halloween. His narrow eyes focused on me as his fingers drummed across the calvary sword resting on his side¡­ the fake police officer didn¡¯t even bother carrying a real weapon.


    ¡°We bring him into a house and we¡¯ll have to prepare to defend the other homes.¡± The knight in armor spoke ¡°Remember that Agatha Willow nearly burned down an entire neighborhood during her night of judgement.¡±


    The knight in rusting armor continued to sharpen his sword. This wasn¡¯t a metaphor. He was literally wearing a suit of metal armor and sharpening a real sword!


    Were these people allergic to guns or something? I mean they didn¡¯t have any problems sending people with real weapons to try to murder everyone on that crazy night! If bullets didn¡¯t work you simply grabbed bigger guns instead of smaller weapons.


    You don¡¯t drop a sword to grab a butter knife if the sword doesn¡¯t work! The same logic applies to guns! If not enough Daka grab bigger Daka!


    ¡°Does this idiot look like he¡¯s smart enough to survive pulling off something like that?¡± The driver asked, shaking his head ¡°The fool nearly got himself killed by agreeing to a contract meant to kill him. Seriously he thinks that a gun is going to keep him alive through the night!¡±


    Yes a Gun.


    You know the modern innovation of science and death that made the age of swords go extinct. The funny little object that can level the playing field, shoot faster than you can swing a metal sharp stick, and at much further range than an idiot can swing a sword or shoot an arrow?


    Why wouldn¡¯t I want protection against such a thing or want my own revolver with extra ammo given back to me? Especially since you refuse to let me leave while telling me that somebody was going to try and murder me tonight without even bothering to tell me why!


    ¡°You do remember that he torched the contract meant to kill them all without even breaking a sweat?¡± The cosplay witch tried to remind them ¡°Please do not antagonize him while I¡¯m in the same room.¡±


    The driver scoffed muttering ¡°Oh right. Like the Stitch Witch hadn¡¯t found out what Herbick was doing and that this person¡± he motioned to me in a mocking manner ¡°Managed to kill a council member by himself inside the domain of Law?¡±


    The knight nodded as if it had been obvious that I had nothing to do with the death¡­ just merely a useful pawn that the Stitch Witch planned to make use of after tonight.


    I let them argue as the Cosplay Witch tried to argue as she tried building me up as a threat¡­ and the other two treating me like the pig that gets fattened before it gets butchered.


    I will admit that I wasn¡¯t a paragon of strength, some grand wizard of elebrate nonsensical rhymes and pseudo latin, or some gritting mercenary that was skilled with all manner of weaponry.


    I was a Magician. Half of our tricks of the trade were smoke and mirrors¡­ and keeping my secrets a secret was very important. Even more so when the ¡®Bodyguards¡¯ made it clear that they weren¡¯t planning on keeping me alive.


    I checked the supplies the Stitch Witch had given me that she had retrieved from my car. I was a little skeptical about trusting the eldritch witch, but she was at least trying to help me even if it was from some nefarious future purpose.


    So with that in mind I gathered together my supplies and tried applying some of the oldest tricks of the trade that Kornea had. They didn¡¯t know how my bag of magic tricks worked and I planned to keep it that way if only to ease my own growing paranoia.


    Trying to withstand a siege wasn¡¯t going to happen. I only had one gun and a simple van full of thugs with hand guns could probably be enough to take everyone out here¡­ and I highly doubted I would be that lucky.


    So with limited time, supplies, and help I simply opted to go with the oldest tradition humanity had when faced with threats they couldn¡¯t possibly beat in a fair fight.


    I was going to hide, cheat, and then run away to live another day.


    Hey don¡¯t knock Fabian Tactics. They won wars!


    With that in mind I went to setting up the first step in trying to survive this night¡­ having set up a proper space by over turning tables and setting up enough proper magic to keep the bag of ¡®Mists of the Forgotten¡¯ to working it¡¯s so called magic.


    Fun stuff really. A bag of white powder that when lit produced a white mist sort of like a fog machine only with the side effect of making people forget stuff inside the mist. Oh sure you could get around it by not being in the mist or simply wearing a gas mask with goggles¡­ but the same could be said about tear gas and that is still pretty effective!


    Sure it wasn¡¯t as fancy as a magicall wall that stopped bullets or a flick of the wrist to unleash a dozen bolts of lightning, but guns were still a thing and enough daka could still take down even the most ¡®self-proclaimed¡¯ magician.


    That or they simply send a speeding van right into your position if they didn¡¯t have any explosives to chuck at you.


    After all it is only overkill if you kill the target. Until then it was simply scaling up until it worked.


    ¡°So what are you expecting?¡± A voice spoke out reminding me that at least one person wasn¡¯t actually pretending I didn¡¯t exist.


    I turned around seeing Cosplay Witch who apparently gave up on her argument with the bodyguards and simply opted to sneak into my improvised fort made from overturned tables and chairs. She glanced at the ¡®decorations¡¯ I had been placing upon the nearby tables trying to figure out what I was doing.


    She still seemed a bit nervous as she kept toying with her jewelry¡­ though from the small glances towards me I know that I frightened her a little due to the whole¡­ Shooting the Stitch Witch in the face.


    Ignorance allowed me to not be as terrified at the Stitch Witch as they were, yet she viewed it as a sign of how dangerous I might possibly be¡­ something to both be fearful and grateful for when your life might be in danger.


    Maybe it was stupid to confide with her a little¡­ but she was also in fear that whatever might try to kill me might also be after her. I didn¡¯t trust her with my life¡­ but I did trust in the fact she also wanted to survive this night.


    I thought out what to say for a moment ¡°Best case? Nobody.¡± She snorted not believing it herself ¡°Most likely¡­ thugs, guns, and non-human entities.¡±


    She nearly chuckled ¡°Guns? You are worried about guns?¡±


    I hissed in frustration as what exactly made these people think that guns were dangerous?


    It made me throw up my arms and practically shout ¡°Yes! Guns! The mass produced innovation of humanity that is quite skilled at killing people from far! It''s why the art of swords and shields died when the industrial revolution rolled in.¡±


    Oh yes swords could be scary and there might be a few magical tricks that could make them scarier¡­ but there were plenty of mundane methods that were far cheaper and far more effective at killing you.


    ¡°Never underestimate the power of a fully automated machine gun or a rocket launcher.¡± I informed the young woman to her surprise ¡°And that is if they don¡¯t decide to send a speeding vehicle full of explosives crashing into the doors like a battering ram.¡±


    That was my main worry and fear. Even if I somehow drew a dozen ¡®Anti-bullet shields¡¯ upon each table that still left explosives to deal with it or use good old kinetic force. I was under no illusion that they wouldn¡¯t pull out the bigger toys after seeing a magical barrier somehow stop a speeding vehicle set to ¡®road kill¡¯ speed..


    ¡°So¡­ non-human entities.¡± Cosplay Witch spoke a little bit curious about the term ¡°Are you expecting Fae, Werewolves¡­ what exactly?¡±


    ¡°Things trying to claw my face off while being able to rip car doors off with ease.¡± I informed her as she looked surprised at that statement. ¡°Not exactly something you¡¯d want to try getting into melee with.¡±


    Davin loved his alchemical abominations that would give Frankenstien a run for his money if he didn¡¯t try suing the mad scientist/magician. Trica preferred gangs, guns, and sucide monsters. Anything big and nasty enough to wreck things up before her crews rolled in behind to mob up the survivors. Sha¡¯dar¡­ well that was Nyte¡¯s favored attack dog as Akara lacked the resources to send that crazed monster to try hunting me down.


    I was still too ¡®unimportant¡¯ for Nyte to waste unnecessary resources to settle Akara¡¯s little grudge with me so that was a plus. If I had to place my bet on which of the three would be sent after me then my money was on Trica.


    Her groups didn¡¯t rely too heavily upon the resources located within Kornea and if we were playing by Masquerade rules¡­ then her group would be the easiest to hide or discount as ¡®normal criminals¡¯ so long as they kept the magic (and explosions) to a minimum.


    Just ¡®mundane enough¡¯ to probably slip by unnoticed by the magical folk until they pulled out automatic weapons with whatever disposable monsters they flung at me.


    I heard somebody snapping their fingers as it broke me from my paranoid thoughts as the young woman stared at me as she was apparently surprised that I had worked up a nervous sweat for who was probably going to try and kill me tonight.


    She chuckled nervously ¡°Okay what exactly did you do to get these people mad at you?¡±


    I took a deep breath and tried my best to whisper ¡°I sort of¡­ bushed one of their higher ups out the window of a skyscraper. He died when he hit the ground but the Reanamators put him back together.¡±


    Now she was staring at me in disbelief ¡°Wait¡­ full blown necromantic resurrection?¡±


    That earned a nervous chuckle from me ¡°Oh no frankenstein resurrection. Those non-human entities share more in common with HP Lovecraft¡¯s Mi-Go. They could have simply popped out his brain and stuck it into an entirely new body they built if they wanted to.¡±


    Her face turned pale as that was what their health insurance would cover¡­ then it only took a cynical mind to question what their weapons department could throw at you. After all humanity alway had the funny habit of finding better ways to circumvent everyone¡¯s protection.


    ¡°And they use guns¡­ when they have that at their disposal?¡¯ She asked before I shot her a hard look ¡°Okay stupid question¡­ I mean sending in wave after wave of disposable human minions who don¡¯t care about being cut up after seeing someone get put back together after that is pretty good motivation.¡±


    Somehow she was getting the right answer if only for the wrong conclusion, but I didn¡¯t bother correcting her. Far easier to expect the worse than try and correct her.


    ¡°So¡­ what does everyone else think is going to kill me?¡± I asked in morbid curiosity ¡°As my hit squad was already trying to me before today while The Stitch¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say her name!¡± The cosplay witch hissed in fear ¡°Not even¡­ that.¡±


    She glanced around in fear as I shook my head ¡°Other ¡®people¡¯ seem to think that something else is going to try and kill me¡­ even then¡­ if everybody hated Agatha Willow then why didn¡¯t somebody shoot her or just plant some explosives in her house and blow her up?¡±


    That earned me an odd look of confusion as I shrugged ¡°Magical Mafia is trying to hunt me down. If a building doesn¡¯t catch on fire or blow up tonight then I¡¯ll be surprised.¡± I held up my hand ¡°Also if nobody is alive to tell what happened then technically nobody can complain about their methods.¡±


    Now there was the unsettling look of unease I had been expecting as maybe the people trying to kill me would play by Hidden Magical World Masquerade rules¡­ or maybe they would do whatever they wanted and left before the ¡®magical authorities¡¯ could step up and call foul.


    After a few seconds the woman sighed ¡°Okay¡­ how does¡­ your¡­ Pact thingy¡­ work?¡±


    She seemed to be struggling to suggest something, but also there was that all to familiar knowledge that I got when I was about to do something stupid.


    I couldn¡¯t help, but smirk ¡°Spirit of the agreement. Not the letter of the argument. Non-human entities don¡¯t understand or simply do not care about legal wordplay or loophole nonsense.¡±


    Holding out my hand I decided to guess what she wanted from me ¡°I promise not to kill or betray you tonight so long as you do not try killing me or betraying me.¡±


    She stared at it for a good couple of seconds as it really did seem strange for how seemingly simple it was to make a Pact. No fancy contracts, magical blood bindings, or anything really¡­ just the faint tingle and pressure in the air with the unsettling knowledge that something was watching you where you couldn¡¯t see it.


    She carefully held out her hand not fully trusting herself to shake as she replied ¡°I¡­ I promise to do the same. So long as you also agree to tell me about all of¡­ this after tonight¡­ alright?¡±


    ¡°All of this?¡± I asked trying to get clarification ¡°Because I¡¯m going to ask the same. So do you want to know about Magic? The people trying to kill me? The Spire or¡­¡±


    ¡°All of it or¡­ mostly the bits that won¡¯t make sense tonight.¡± She sort of asked as she was unsure of what to say or how far she wanted to push her luck or the Pact ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t stab me in the back, betray me, or¡­ you know.¡±


    We both shook hands before she suddenly pulled her hand back as if my hand was a viper as she hissed ¡°What are you!¡±


    ¡°Human.¡± I spoke with a hint of annoyance. ¡°I¡¯d show you my ID if someone hadn¡¯t stolen them.¡±


    She stared at me oddly for a few seconds ¡°I get that sort of feedback from elves and spirits. Not ¡®humans¡¯ muchless¡­¡± She stared at her hand for a few seconds before shivering. ¡°Seriously I almost expected that¡­¡±


    The woman tried to cut herself off, but I simply drummed my fingers against the nearby table and said ¡°I already know the ¡®bodyguards¡¯ are trying to kill me.¡± She stared at me in mild disbelief ¡°They weren¡¯t exactly quiet about it either.¡±


    Now she flinched ¡°To be fair¡­ Agatha Willow is¡­ she has died multiple times.¡± I nodded my head as she rubbed the back of her head ¡°She¡­ she kind of does a ¡®reincarnation¡¯ through her daughters.¡±


    Now I felt a little bit of unease as it was pretty clear that everyone wanted her dead. The fact that the bodyguards kind of made it obvious that their job was to keep me here instead of trying to protect me.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± She shook her head ¡°Five daughters. Four face the Trial. The fifth essentially gets Agatha Willow¡¯s memories. The ¡®Curse of the Hill¡¯ to incentivise people to¡­ try other means of subduing them.¡±


    ¡°How bad?¡± I asked feeling a hint of dread ¡°And just to be clear¡­ erasing all of my memories and replacing them with a dead old lady is still murder mind you.¡±


    Now she sighed in relief as I¡¯m guessing she was worried that I might have tried doing the same to her ¡° Agatha Willow can ¡®reincarnate¡¯ through one of her daughters if they take up the pact¡­ don¡¯t ask. I don¡¯t know what it is, but Agatha Willow is really known for her habit of betraying people.¡±


    Now I banged my head against one of the plastic tables as I certainly didn¡¯t want to know how or why anyone would think it was a good idea too¡­ oh right¡­ crazy fae logic magic rules.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Probably some deal that sounds good on paper right up until you find out that small ink dot was actually an entire damn essay in microscope print that had you giving up your own soul¡­ or those ¡®terms and conditions¡¯ pages that were so stupidly long it would take hours just to read it all.


    Best case your entire memory was drowned out by a few centuries of new memories¡­ Worst case they were simply replaced, killing ¡®you¡¯ and inserting an entirely new person.


    Yet the only thing that escaped my lips was one word ¡°No offense¡­ but why would anyone help her if everyone wants to kill her?¡±


    The cosplay witch looked very uneasy as she slowly replied ¡°Because on this night she makes¡­ rather¡­ unique incentives for doing so.¡± She gripped her staff tighter ¡°So if you are not¡­ ¡®you¡¯ in the morning¡­ don¡¯t be offended if I try to kill you.¡±


    I almost asked ¡®If that¡¯s the case then why hasn¡¯t she done that to her daughters before today¡­¡¯ and then I remembered how everyone was already planning on killing me on the brief chance I was a ¡®heir of the hill¡¯ as¡­ apparently the council already had the same question and just decided to play it safe.


    ¡°So either it''s more complicated than I¡¯ve been led to believe or the crazy witch from the house ran off leaving me behind as a distraction¡± I thought to myself while remembering the other four girls ¡°With three spare dummies to toss at anyone who chases after her.¡±


    A bit more cynical, but I could believe her simply tossing a fake corpse while making herself younger and pretending to ¡®die¡¯ before pretending she had some sort of mystical reincarnation ability. It keeps all of the mystical flare while making everyone fear that even if you killed her she would rise back from the grave to kill you back.


    So long as she had children.


    Which she obviously didn¡¯t have this time since the entire city seemed to make it a point to not take any offers she was making¡­ which was both impressive and slightly worrying at the same time.


    ¡°So Kravos.¡± The cosplay witch asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not my name¡­¡± I muttered in mild annoyance ¡°And if you keep calling me that I¡¯ll just call you Cosplay Witch.¡±


    She frowned before taking a deep breath as she seemed a bit more relaxed now that it was obvious that I wasn¡¯t going to break the Second Law¡­ okay this wasn¡¯t The Spire so technically they didn¡¯t exist here.


    ¡°My name is Nadel Kazult.¡± She spoke the last name with intent waiting to see if it sparked a reaction ¡°Can you tell me your ¡®name¡¯ or tell me why you won¡¯t tell me?¡±


    I bit my lip ¡°You can call me¡­ Dais.¡± I motioned to my revolver ¡°Not my real name. Just don¡¯t want them to search my real name in police data banks. Things tend to get messy when your rivals know who your family members are to threaten.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if I was talking about the people trying to kill me or the bodyguards who were pretending like they weren¡¯t planning my death. Once I ran away from this city I didn¡¯t plan on giving them a name to look up in the phone books or whatever government databases they had access to.


    The young woman pinched her nose ¡°Kravos is a proper Magi name. I¡¯m going with that.¡±


    Now I rolled my eyes as that name sounded exactly like the type of name you would give to an evil sorcerer who was going to summon demons or something. Dais might sound a bit stupid, but it didn¡¯t ring ¡®shoot him in the head¡¯ to anyone who hears it.


    ¡°And what exactly is your plan for that exactly?¡± She asked glancing at the singled out table full of fancy mystical runes and markings made from a good old fashion permanent marker.


    ¡°My ticket out of here.¡± I told her honestly ¡°Something big and ¡®magical enough¡¯ to make people not ask twice why I¡¯m carrying it around when I walk out that door.¡±


    Now she stared at me as if I was an idiot as sure it sounded insane saying it outloud¡­ but so did a lot of magic tricks when you explained how they worked. The real trick was applying smoke, mirrors, and a general helping of bold face lies.


    She held out her arm and seemed to whisper something in pseudo latin probably trying to look a lot more mystical than what she really was doing as none of the ¡®charms¡¯ on her wrist glowed or reacted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t detect any magic¡­¡± Nadal spoke as she pointed her staff at me ¡°But is there anything you want to tell me just to be safe?¡±


    It was probably stupid, but I probably should warn her just to be safe ¡°You may also want to ware a mask¡­ something to filter out smoke just incase.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a charm for that.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger¡­¡± I warned her glancing at the bodyguards ¡°Though you might want to write it down if your head feels light or if you can¡¯t think straight¡­ Kornea has a lot of unique chemical weapons.¡±


    <hr>


    The time slowly ran down as once again it was another game of twenty twenty questions. Only this time I was getting somewhere. The only problem was that the sun was disappearing as I heard the sound of a cell phone ringing as something large was moving outside of the warehouse.


    I checked my backpack sure that it was someone sent by Akara, but none of the pendants had lit up. So either it was someone I didn¡¯t get a tracking/alarm charm on¡­ or this was one of the ¡®native threats¡¯ of this crazy city that wanted to kill me.


    The knight and driver pulled out their swords as Nadel stood off to the side as the two ¡®bodyguards¡¯ wanted to talk to her out of ear shot of me¡­ which they really sucked at since it was them warning her and then telling her not to tell me anything.


    There was the sound of something pressing up against the doors meant for trucks to pass through as a rather robust voice spoke out ¡°Where is the heir of the hill?¡±


    Have you ever heard the difference between a large dog bark and a small dog? The difference of the pitch of tone and roughness of the voice. This had the same quality to it except it was much bigger than a human in that sense.


    Nadal glanced at me as I simply shrugged since this was one of their problems before I pulled out my mask and goggles. Just a few minor enhancements and modifications had been made to both of them.


    The small face mask had been modified so it would filter out more dangerous chemicals while also allowing me to breathe easier. The goggles/shades were to help deal with any unwanted mist blocking my vision and from fogging up.


    The knight pulled out his sword ¡°Try searching outside of the city.¡±


    There was the sound of metal grinding against metal as¡­ the sound of either the metal chains breaking or whatever the metal chains had been attached to broke as they fell to the ground. A large paw forced itself underneath the door trying to slowly push it up.


    I pulled out the bag of ¡®Forgotten Mist¡¯ and poured it into the first waste basket by my wall of plastic tables. The white powder poured inside it before I pulled out my trusty ¡®wand¡¯ as half of a magician¡¯s tricks were smoke and mirrors.


    With a press of the button the night stick expanded before I twisted the bottom a little and held the button. A burst of flames erupted from the tip of the stick as the prior ¡®runes¡¯ for a better lack of a word activated. The powder turned into a fine fog¡­ more like a fog machine as it sort of hung in the air, but didn¡¯t hamper too much of your vision.


    The rest of the array activated, keeping the mist inside my zoned off area as the door was pushed all the way open revealing¡­ a large wolf.


    As far as exciting things that were trying to kill me this one was a let down. I mean yes it was freakishly as large as a car, but that was about it. Just a large gray fox with bits of twigs, dirt, and leaves caught up in its mane that made me think it rolled around in a pile of leaves rather than¡­ some mighty fierce hunter.


    The wolf sniffed the air trying to catch my scent before the mist interfered with its ability ¡°here is the¡­ the¡­¡± The wolf rubbed his nose like a cat trying to force a bad smell out of their nose ¡°The Heir¡­ I know you have one here. You are hiding¡­ Hiding her.¡±


    Now I let out a sigh of relief as already it was kicking in. The creature forgot that it was looking for a male heir so as long as I stayed within my little ¡®room¡¯ then it literally couldn¡¯t find me only because it couldn¡¯t remember me.


    The wolf glanced around the room reminding me more of a drunk who was trying to remember what they came here for¡­ and the bodyguards swayed a little glancing around the room faintly remembering they were supposed to be guarding someone, but couldn¡¯t exactly focus on my corner of the room.


    I mean they could see it¡­ but it was more like they weren¡¯t paying attention to it or didn¡¯t find the need to pay attention to it. Sure this trick had a lot of flaws, but it was moments like these as I loaded my revolver that made it all worth it.


    ¡°We do not!¡± The knight spoke leaning on his sword a little ¡°The foul witch had used the last of her pacts to hide her daughters from us before having them flee the city after the night she died!¡±


    The Wolf shook his head ¡°You¡¯re¡­ your lying¡­ but not lying.¡± The mutt continued rubbing his face against the door trying to mark it¡­ or the mist was making him feel ill.


    ¡®Is it sentient or wild?¡¯ I asked myself in the back of my head.


    If it was just a magically compelled or modified wild animal¡­ then I could kill it and nobody would care. Sure it might draw some attention, but by that point I could escape. The real problem was if it was sentient¡­


    People tended to care a lot more when people were shot instead of expensive, but ultimately replaceable drones/puppets. You could make excuses to why the latter failed, but people took notice when people died¡­ and usually did so guns blazing.


    ¡°We are trying to kill the heirs!¡± The knight shouted ¡°If we had one then we would have had them sign the death pact!¡±


    That would have been mildly disturbing if not for the fact that it had already failed. Pulling up a chair I decided to simply watch the show and see if my ¡®bodyguards¡¯ would drop any more details about things I wasn¡¯t supposed to know.


    The wolf growled ¡°Your¡­ lying¡­ but you are not. You¡­ you think you aren¡¯t lying. Where¡­ where is she!¡±


    I heard a female gasp as I stared at Nadel as she now looked at me in fear¡­ and then noticed that the big bad wolf was staring at her.


    No. No, no, no¡­


    I pulled out my red cloak as I reached the edge of the mist and shouted ¡°Hey big bad wolf!¡± It turned towards me as if half remembering me ¡°Catch!¡±


    I tossed another bag of ¡®Forgotten Mist¡¯ onto the floor before unleashing another burst from my fake wand. The burst of heat turned the powder into a fine mist as the wolf moved towards me¡­ before sneezing.


    I had mixed a few ¡®less than savory things¡¯ into that batch that had a crude ¡®sneezing powder¡¯ which wasn¡¯t too useful in keeping the mist around¡­ but it was useful in ensuring that the victim kept inhaling before each powerful sneeze.


    The wolf grunted as Nadel was painting heavily as I backed away from the edge of my barrier. She stared at me in disbelief as one of her bracelet charms were glowing¡­ which was both surprising and mildly concerning.


    ¡°How is she breathing without being affected by the mist¡± I couldn¡¯t help, but ask in the back of my mind ¡°She isn¡¯t even wearing a mask. Heck that blue glow would be suicidal if not for this mist making people forget things.¡±


    ¡°Where¡­ where is the female?¡±


    I turned around and felt the tension in my body drain as it came from the wolf who had thankfully forgotten that Nadel had been inside the room. She just kept staring at the scene in disbelief as before writing on a notepad ¡®Answers in the Morning¡¯ and pointing it at me.


    Apparently she was too nervous to talk in fear that someone might hear her.


    The Knight on the other hand was still clueless as his helmet was just as worthless ¡°Do you see any females? If so then take them! Take my words as the truth ancient hunter as Agatha Willow tricked you!¡±


    ¡°Endless Night¡­¡± She swore underneath her breath ¡°This is how Agatha Willow hid her daughters!¡±


    ¡°No. This is just ¡®smoke and mirrors¡¯ little soul.¡± I couldn¡¯t help, but whisper in a smug tone ¡°Just common tricks of the trade for any Magician.¡±


    Now she stared at me in wide eye disbelief as the term was unfamiliar to her¡­ but the effects of my little magic show was clear for all (who could remember) to see. Now the real trick was trying to escape.


    ¡°Just to be clear¡­¡± I glanced at Nadal ¡°The giant talking wolf is sentient.¡±


    I swapped out only two of the more lethal rounds with some powdered ones as I ignored the conversation between the group planning my death and the group who wanted something equally bad for me.


    Nadal cleared her throat with a hint of unease ¡°I mean it is¡­ why? Does that matter?¡±


    Loading a small batch of ¡®Despair Root¡¯ I checked my watch seeing how much time we had ¡°Because I don¡¯t like leaving bodies unless I can help it.¡±


    An uneasy feeling ran down my spine as I wanted to simply sit here and let the timer run out. If dealing with an easily tricked wolf was the worst thing I had to deal with tonight then this would be an easy night¡­ yet my luck never panned out that well.


    If I ran too fast I would be caught. If I didn¡¯t run then eventually something or someone would catch onto the trick. So I just had to sit and wait while pretending to be a heck of a lot more confident in my plan than I really was.


    The wolf started to sniff the air as the Knight in armor shouted ¡°If Alaeros seeks to remake his daughter he will have to look outside the city as the craven witches fled!¡±


    ¡°Remake his daughter?¡± I asked as that sounded a bit off.


    Nadal looked at me with a hint of fear as I waved my pistol to remind her that keeping secrets from me right now was not the best plan. Call me paranoid, but those words felt like they were key important details right now.


    The young witch bit her front lip before shaking her head ¡°Four things can happen tonight. A Heir of the Hill Survives, They die, They take a pact with Agatha and lose themselves to her memories¡­ or¡­¡± She paused clearly uneasy by the final point ¡°They ¡®rewrite¡¯ them.¡±


    ¡°Rewrite?¡± I asked as that sounded rather worrying. ¡°Could you clarify that little detail?¡±


    Nadal glanced at the wolf in fear ¡°They take a Heir on this ¡®wretched night¡¯ and use the old pact¡­ the insurance clause to ensure that at least one of the heirs survive. The cost of course being that the one who captures them can¡­ rewrite their history.¡±


    I ran a hand through my hair as that wretched sinking feeling sank into my gut as this really sounded like an entire city actually breaking the Second Law. Not just altering one¡¯s mind without consent or removing one¡¯s free will, but something much worse.


    ¡°Rewrite their history?¡± I asked trying to think of what that exactly meant ¡°You mean like rewriting their memories or¡­¡±


    ¡°Their history.¡± Nadal emphasised nearly snapping at me from seeming to trivialize it ¡°Everyone within the city gets their memories and history altered. They all think that it is real. Entire records change over night. You could get a book worm and rewrite their history saying they were a jock and you would even get years old engravings on a tree literally appear overnight!¡±


    A large part of my mind refused to believe at the sheer absurdity of such a claim. That it literally couldn¡¯t be possible as even with Kornea that stuff was¡­ well the closest anyone got was a bounty of their heads by the local government, guilds, or anyone with a lick of common sense and money to dangle in front of bounty hunters.


    If something like this was real¡­ salt and ash¡­ I didn¡¯t even want to think about what anyone from The Spire would do if it was half as bad as what the young witch was even suggesting!


    Nadal looked a little bit easier seeing how unnerved I was as she continued ¡°For some they think that they can get the perfect¡­ daughter, puppet, girlfriend or slave. So long as the bloodline continues¡­¡±


    She let the words drift out as I could easily see how tempting it would be for a lot of less than moral groups to take that as an option rather than simply killing whoever they were chasing after. It was that sick twisted logic that made the second law of Kornea one that was worthy of launching things akin to holy crusades.


    Yet for every nightmare¡­ there was a twisted hope born out of desperation.


    ¡°And Alaeros lost his daughter and now sees this as a chance to¡­ ¡®revive her¡¯ so to speak.¡± I spoke the words knowing how desperate some people could be at trying to ¡®correct the injustice¡¯ that life had inflicted upon them ¡°That a father sees this as his chance to save his daughter instead of letting her be dead.¡±


    Rewriting someone¡¯s memory would be awful¡­ but rewriting history? That was the type of thing that made people throw away their morality because if they rewrote history¡­ then their ¡®crime¡¯ would also be erased as it simply never happened.


    The perfect excuse to unleash every horrible thought locked away in the back of their mind as they wouldn¡¯t even care if they were rewritten in the process. For some it might even be a happy bonus since they wouldn¡¯t even have to remember the crimes they committed thus ¡®absolving them¡¯ of the crimes!


    Nadal nodded her head ¡°Every elf is trying to find an heir for their king¡­ especially with how deep Agatha Willow¡¯s curse and hurt their king killing both his beloved and his¡­ daughter. He had a grudge to burn even if this isn¡¯t a chance to bring back his daughter.¡±


    Oh great¡­ half blind revenge since he couldn¡¯t harm the witch as he just plans to kill her heirs¡­ the other half twisted hope in trying to bring back his dead daughter. So that pretty much blew ¡®negotiations¡¯ since I highly doubted he would bargain...


    Well unless one of the other girls had failed to escape allowing him to capture one of them.


    ¡°What about the death pact thing?¡± I asked trying to get all possible options on the table ¡°I mean it broke because it was used on me¡­ would that still kick in if I was¡­ rewritten?¡±


    If we were playing by normal rules then no¡­ because burnt books and magical contracts do not ¡®magically repair themselves¡¯ if they get destroyed. Though if things were playing by a different rule book then this might give me a card to play.


    Not a great card, but a card nonetheless.


    Nadal stared at me for a few seconds before looking uneasy again ¡°He¡­ he may owe you a favor if only to ensure that his daughter will not die after tonight¡­ so long as he has ¡®reclaimed his daughter¡¯ before he meets you again.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ he¡¯ll kill me if he hasn¡¯t, but he will let me live if he has.¡± I chuckled bitterly at the thought ¡°And with my luck they are on a plane to Hawaii right now.¡±


    A hint of paranoia flared as I glanced at Nadal ¡°Just out of curiosity¡­ why aren¡¯t you interested in cashing me in? Rewriting my history just to ensure that nobody else tries to murder you or something?¡±


    Nadal chuckled nervously ¡°Its¡­ well¡­¡± She looked around before whispering ¡°The Stitch Witch wants you alive.¡±


    She looked around again in fear as if simply speaking the name would summon her presence. I might have called it foolish, but I remembered Cruse of Strahd or ¡®Taboo Names¡¯ for short. The type of things that when spoken that allowed certain supernatural baddies to know you spoke the name.


    Maybe Stitch Witch was one of those words¡­ or the thing you said in place of them.


    ¡°I take it, she''d remember then.¡± I spoke in a deadpan tone.


    The young witch rubbed her neck ¡°The only thing that could oppose her was Agatha Willow¡­ and even then she was the monster you ran to when trying to hide from her.¡±


    I nodded my head as that both stated that there were limits to this ¡®rewrite curse¡¯ they all believed in¡­ or that the eldritch witch lived up to the eldritch bit which made her all the more horrifying. Seriously some of those things could twist their hand and give any would be ¡®god¡¯ a run for their money.


    She looked me up and down for a moment ¡°You''re also a guy¡­¡±


    That made me roll my eyes as she sort of blushed for a moment before shaking her head.


    ¡°No not that¡­¡± She groaned ¡°I mean that you survived or stopped Agatha Willow¡¯s curse to make daughters. A Witch of the Hill with that much power?¡± She chuckled nervously ¡°That is like shaking someone¡¯s head and accepting a death pact only to watch the other person die instead.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The word was left hanging in my mouth as I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to reply to that.


    I mean yes it technically happened, but¡­ I guess to her it was like watching superman get shot in the face without even blinking. That sort of feeling... that you were so far out of depth it wasn¡¯t even funny.


    I glanced back at the room as more and more people started flooding into the room. Werewolves, people in black flowing robes, thugs with guns, Civil war reenactors, more colorful armor medieval knights, and the rest of the cast rejects from the fantasy book series.


    More kept flooding into the warehouse demanding to know where the heir of the hill was. The two body guards kept telling them there wasn¡¯t one. The odd feeling that they should be remembering something, but couldn¡¯t place their finger on what it was.


    Not a single mask to filter out the mist among them.


    I searched my bags before pulling out a bag of ¡®despair root¡¯ as it would be a jerk move to set this off leaving everyone in a stupified state of terror¡­ but I¡¯d only do that if I was caught. Until then it was time for the crazy stupid plan.


    Picking up the table I motioned to Nadal ¡°Okay now for my great and wonderful magic trick.¡±


    She walked over to the other side staring at the mist around us and at the table wondering if there was some sort of hidden magic rune or perhaps some unique item I kept hidden to pull off some grand feat of magic she was surely planning on stealing or asking me about after tonight.


    There were no grand feats of magic or mysticism right now.


    Just pure Grade C nonsense.


    Carrying the table out of my little zoned off area the first person stared at me ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡±


    I smiled even if he couldn¡¯t seem my face behind my mask and spoke in the most absurd attempt of a bad scottish accient ¡°I am le?enie. These are the great runes of Lio-vor made by the great kelts of old laddy! I was going to slap that heir upon this table, but somebody gave me the wrong address.¡±


    I huffed in fake announce as they left me alone leaving me to stumble on forward trying to avoid the crowd of ¡®slightly intoxicated¡¯ group of people who wanted to kill me.


    A knight in black armor stood in front of me holding up a finger ¡°Who¡­ Where did you¡­¡±


    ¡°If you make a crack about me going by the batmobile then by the grace of transylvania I shall shove a stake through your heart for that awful joke.¡± I snapped in the worst transylvanian accent I could come up with ¡°This is obviously a highly elaborate ritual table which I was going to place this heir of the hill upon.¡±


    I held up my ¡®revolver¡¯ and showed it to him ¡°And then gave him a good poke. Let that blood flow. Not wait for every peasant and umbilical to stumble about making ¡®dracula jokes¡¯ at my displeasure.¡±


    With a fake uppity ¡®hah¡¯ I strood past him as I continued the game making just as many absurd claims to who I was while pointing at the nonsensical runes I had drawn upon the table until we were finally outside.


    The amount of ¡®Mist¡¯ that had practically been stained into my clothing still clung to our bodies leaving a trail of mist behind us. Nadal simply chuckled at the sheer absurdity of it all as we both continued walking around to where the police car had been parked.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ What was that?¡± She asked in utter disbelief ¡°I mean¡­ what was that?¡±


    I fished out the best magical gadget I had in my pocket and placed the small flat piece of metal against the car door lock ¡°Minor forgetfulness. Short term memory loss and problem. Get drenched in enough of it and people have a hard time trying to separate you from any of the other people at the scene.¡±


    The door unlocked as I got into the driver¡¯s seat while Nadal slipped into the passenger side ¡°They have a hard time focusing or remembering you. Just pretend you are supposed to be there and let their mind fill in the gaps¡­ or do something so outlandish that their mind hastily tries to fill in what they think you look or sound like.¡±


    I turned on the car and started driving out of the warehouse district as everyone was looking for a female heir and I could probably drive away finding someplace safe to hide while everyone idiot rushed to the warehouse area trying to find (and forget) me.


    Of course how to make people forget you even after you left was the real trick¡­ but I didn¡¯t bother telling her how that trick worked. A magician after all never reveals all of his secrets.


    Driving out of the area I let out a small sigh of relief ¡°So any idea where you want to hide for the night?¡±


    ¡°Hide?¡± Nadal asked in mild confusion


    I nodded my head as I spared a glance at the pendants against my backpack ¡°That trick worked against them because they had no idea what to expect. The people hunting for me will bring gas masks or simply burn the area down to find me.¡±


    I kept an eye out for any odd vans or large vehicles ¡°And your council will not interfere until morning¡­ so I¡¯d like to find someplace safe until then.¡±


    The young witch opened her mouth to say some witty retort only for one of my pendants to glow and point straight up¡­ literally straight up in full gravity defying action.


    I could hear the gulp as the large uneasy feeling of worry and the naive hope that what I feared certainly wasn¡¯t happening¡­ that there was a perfectly logical explanation for why the pendant was pointing directly up above us.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Nadal?¡± I asked as my lips felt dry ¡°How¡­ How far does this magical barrier thing extend?¡±


    The young witch stared at me and then at the pendant ¡°It may have weakened a little upon this night, but¡­ so long as any living threat¡­¡±


    ¡°Living threat?¡± I hissed out in dread realization ¡°Does that include dead or temporally dead?¡±


    The pendant thankfully (or worryingly) started to point behind us as we didn¡¯t so much hear, but felt the earth shattering crash as a red light appeared before us on the road.


    Nadal looked behind as she spoke in dread horror ¡°Please tell me why what looked like a dragon crashed into the warehouse district?¡±


    The mechanical cybernetic roar of fury and hatred echoed behind us as when the light turned green I sped up the vehicle trying not to floor the gas pedal in fear that it might draw attention to me.


    First sneak away. Then bolt at full speed when they catch you. Until then¡­ sneak away and pray that everyone else trying to kill you slows them down.


    ¡°Funny thing about stealth Nadal.¡± I spoke trying to drive away quickly without drawing too much attention. ¡°It technically works if nobody is left alive to report it.¡±


    "What exactly happened?" The witch repeated because it needed to be repeated.


    I glanced into the rear view mirror "Mistakes were made... mostly by your council."


    She stared at me possiblying beliving the first part, but not the second...


    Hey it wasn''t my fault that they didn''t listen to me... If they simply let me leave the city then they wouldn''t have been caught by suprise by the giant undead cyborg dragon being operated by whatever crazy psychopath that had been sent to kill me.


    That is the exact line I''d even tell them as we drove away from the burning maze of warehouses that they tried to hide me in.

 CH7 - Interlude - City in Chaos

    Patrick Hawkings or ¡®Mr. Hawkings¡¯ sat down in front of the ritual room located inside a bunker home. The darker skinned man ran a hand through his greying hair as his family was busy trying to pretend that everything was okay¡­ that everything was ¡®normal¡¯ or as much as the lie could sustain the illusion.


    Normal families didn¡¯t buy old war bunkers and kit them out to live in¡­ not ¡®last resort¡¯ type of bunkers where you stored enough food and supplies to last a few days. No this one was fully lived in and decked out.


    The deck of playing cards was left on the old mogohony oak desk as the lights flickered. A part of him regretted not sending an electrician to double check the wiring, but he ran under the assumption that Agatha Willow would have died last week.


    The ghost of the woman had managed to pull a fast one on them all and unlike his peers who thought they had sufficiently prepared for the worst. Mr Hawkings knew just how dangerous the witch of the hill truly was.


    The phone buzzed again as he checked the text message from Nadel Kazult ¡°Left second site and heading to site three. Mist and table evaded escape from third parties until the Outside Party interfered. Team was using vans, assault rifles, and what looked like werewolves¡­ the real ones took offense to them.¡±


    He sighed pulling out the cold cut sandwich his wife had made from him and the small bottle of stomach ache medicine.


    Technically he was the ¡®head wizard¡¯ if such a term could be applied to the council. In most cases it meant keeping track of the records, pacts families made with supernatural entities, and having a day job meant to help clear things up¡­ or cover things up.


    Sometimes the two mixed or fought one another.


    Today felt more like the second¡­ and possibly the first if they survived tonight as he went over the damage reports.


    Cybernetic undead dragonic abomination leading a growing gathering of undead and possibly unholy monsters at its side. A lot of Council (and third party) resources were being sent to keep the blasted thing from doing more damage or breaking the masquerade.


    Anyone not having to deal with their own problems thought the giant fire breathing monster was the worst thing they had to deal with, but Hawkings and the rest of the council only realized too late that it was a distraction.


    Every third party faction that had flooded into the city when Agatha Willow¡¯s wards around the city fell followed the old rules so to speak. Find the Heir of the Hill. Capture the Heir of the Hill. Move onto the next step.


    The council hated it, but there were unwritten ¡®rules¡¯ which were really only broken by the heirs of the hill, but that was why the Council opted more towards killing them than trying to capture one.


    Not even the old guard of Europe were as bad as these¡­ outsiders.


    There was no other term as it was becoming clear that they had no knowledge about the Heir¡¯s of the Hill which normally would have been great¡­ if they were a normal threat as they were after the Male Heir, but they didn¡¯t just stop at trying to chase after him.


    No¡­ perhaps it might be more correct to say that it was precisely because they were after him that they were committing these crimes which made Mr Hawkings start to reassess the seemingly low threat level of the latest heir.


    While the destruction of the Death Pact was a major loss¡­ the Heir still seemed to be quite useful if propped up like a puppet.


    Low presence, limited magic, willing to avoid civilian casualties, and a lack of interest in taking over the city¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for the sheer magnitude of the attack tonight they would have let the unwanted heir leave to never return. Now he was pretty sure the surviving members of the Council wanted to keep the male heir within the city.


    Mostly restart or if needed to replace Agatha Willow¡¯s wards which kept all outside threats from being able to enter the city¡­ probably update them too.


    The three other burner phones buzzed with new alerts. The surviving council members were now falling under his authority in trying to find safety for themselves. These¡­ Outsiders were not civilized magi or mages.


    They snuck into the city and used guns of all things. It would have been laughable if they hadn¡¯t been targeting Council Members with the amount of firepower you only saw in hollywood movies. If wards protected a building or stopped gunfire they simply took it as a suggestion to use bigger guns.


    Maybe if Council Forces hadn¡¯t been sent to deal with the fire breathing destruction they could have dealt with the problem, but it was a three way struggle. Those who weren¡¯t under attack were trying to flee and send forces to deal with the enemies chasing after the male heir to ensure that he wasn¡¯t replaced with a puppet that followed ¡®enemy¡¯ orders.


    Those who were under attack were either demanding rescue or trying to find some place safe to hide when the Outsiders¡­ just kept scaling up the level of their attacks.


    Already four homes had been set on fire or blown up. The police were racing around the city as normal people were calling in reports of monsters. Not ¡®funny looking terrorists or wild animals¡¯ but full blown paranoia at realizing that supernatural monsters were killing people out in the middle of the day¡­ err night.


    Mr Hawkings felt his stomach lurch as he glanced at the other phone calls before turning on the semi-illegal surveillance video he had on the park as a group of council mages were busy trying to deal with the outsiders who had managed to catch up with them.


    Mercenary thugs who lacked magic called in a van full of flesh rending monsters and unleashed them like attack dogs at the now fleeing mages. All the while one of those horrible masked monsters were moving among the wounded and the dead.


    Reanimators.


    That was the name the Outsiders used and these inhuman monsters were already being marked priority targets to be killed. Already one of them was somehow replacing the flesh of a man who burned to death before patching him up back to full health as the former dead mercenary was cursing up a storm before being handed new clothing, armor, and guns to hunt the mages who had killed him.


    No wonder the mundane minions of this group were seemingly fearless. If they died their masters could bring them back to life far faster than any magical hospital that Hawkings knew of.


    The head wizard pinched his nose as he glanced at the long extensive list of arcane lore on monsters that he held before muttering ¡°Screw it. I don¡¯t care what the others think. I am having Sara make digital copies of all these things and stuffing it in one of her program things.¡±


    You¡¯d think ¡®creepy monsters who revive people¡¯ would be an easy thing to find in a supernatural almanac, but apparently Agatha Willow had gone out of her way to find the most obscure threats to send in to try and butcher her rivals after her death.


    The worst part was that they apparently had no idea that¡­ Kravos was a Heir of the Hill.


    They simply had been chasing after him before and were now trying to kill every single council member either to have them hand over Kravos to them¡­ or until the curse that bound him to the city was broken.


    The entire Council was being killed as a mere afterthought to their objective.


    That was the detail that both infuriated and sickened Mr Hawkings to his core. What exactly had Kravos done to earn this level of ire from these people? Why had these people seemed set to simply kill everyone rather than try opting for diplomacy?


    ¡°Who are they and why don¡¯t they care about being caught?¡± He practically snarled as he saw gang members being rounded up and being enlisted into their ranks.


    The thugs who struggled against their captures before being marched single filed into those trucks¡­ the looks of horror they held when they were marched out of the trucks and separated into groups.


    How some were being shipped out¡­ and others being given the uniform of a tower or a bandana to wrap around their arm. Were these outsiders already planning on trying to take control before Kravos stumbled into the city¡­ or was it just a ¡®happy bonus¡¯ to them?


    He sighed as he heard a knock on the door.


    Mr Hawkings took a deep breath as he double checked the wards placed upon the door before switching to the video feed of what possibly lurked outside of his door. He had seen the videos on the sheer amount of resources and horrors these outsiders were willing to throw at them.


    The aging wizard let out a soft sigh as he unlocked the door as his wife walked in. The irsh woman brought him a cold beer and a shotgun. On a normal day he¡¯d be a bit worried, but she placed the shotgun in the corner and made the mistake of glancing at one of the other screens.


    ¡°Is that a werewolf?¡± She asked mildly horrified.


    He glanced at the screen. It was large, furry, and was currently trying to tear past a steel door only to be blown apart by a terrified mundane shop keeper. The rest of the residents were shouting for him to shoot it again as the beast fell.


    ¡°No silver.¡± Mr Hawking muttered under his breath ¡°Not a werewolf¡­ and it¡¯s going to be a pain trying to figure out what to say in the morning.¡±


    His wife gulped as he remembered that she had married a fund manager¡­ someone whose job was to use money to make money or something¡­ technically he did the same thing, but less ¡®stock trading¡¯ and more ¡®spell books and magical ingredients¡¯ so to speak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That bunker door should hold up against most things that could try to break in.¡± He spoke feeling a need to be honest to his wife ¡°Not sure if it¡¯ll hold up to dragon fire, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Dragon fire?¡± His wife asked with a hint of fear.


    He bit his lip before nodding ¡°I thought it was a possible terrorist attack¡­¡± A lie as he knew that once their curse failed they needed to hide from the fallout ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect them to be more¡­¡±


    The words struggled at the tip of his tongue. What would a normal person say? Endless Night how could he even explain this all so suddenly?


    ¡°That you wish you were insane otherwise it would mean that the world has always been insane and you just realized it now?¡± She spoke with a small nervous smile ¡°So I take it that the rumors about Agatha Willow weren¡¯t actually rumors then?¡±


    The aged wizard shrugged as he was pretty sure that the Witch of the Hill didn¡¯t lure small children into her home to cook them in her oven¡­ but then again until yesterday he was pretty sure that most dragons had gone into hiding or retreated to the more mystical areas of the world.


    That or they had died.


    To be fair that last one was probably a point against them considering that the one in the warehouse was undead after all. He was probably going to have to make a law against necromancy or bring up a few more restrictions to it after tonight.


    ¡°Patrick?¡± his wife spoke with a hint of fear.


    He glanced at her before giving her a hug. She seemed to resist at first before gripping him tightly as the fear she had been trying to hide slowly drifted out of her. She was happy that they were safe inside the bunker even if the ¡®surprise trip¡¯ had annoyed her this morning.


    Their children were as safe as possible as ironically the bunker covered the more mundane threats far better than the wards he could have conjured which was really helpful this night.


    Still there was the fear of having to go outside tomorrow or worse¡­ that these outsiders might find them tonight. For his wife it was the fear that she would have a hard time forgetting this night. For him it was the fact that Agatha Willow wasn¡¯t here to simply wave her hand and make half the people in the town simply forget what happened tonight.


    Maybe if the Council put it to a vote they might be forced to grant Kravos the one piece of the Witch¡¯s Legacy to try and hide the events of tonight¡­ that or try finding some halfway decent explanation to hide it all.


    The only saving grace was that nobody had gotten any of it sent to the internet as Agatha Willow¡¯s old curse essentially cut all communication with the outside world on this fateful night. Anyone trying to flee would fail or find all of their evidence magically erased.


    Maybe in time they might learn to forget what happened especially if they removed all the proof and came up with an excuse for the public to cling to¡­ or maybe they might get the public trying to recreate the Salem Witch Trials.


    ¡®No the council is going to want a Heir to deal with the aftermath and set the old protection wards back up.¡¯ He reminded himself ¡®Normal people can forget. We can¡¯t because we know these threats are after us.¡¯


    Once his wife had stopped crying into his shoulder she tried to clean her noses and eyes with a box of tissues he had kept close at hand¡­ the waste basket was already half full from his own use of them.


    He glanced back at the table as he felt the pull once again. He could play the cards and read the fate now¡­ or he could wait to ensure that their fates would not be rewritten once again.


    The elven king had claimed one of the heirs as his own as her fate was already being rewritten and what was worse¡­ The Stitch Witch seemed to have planned for tonight as she was preparing her own magical contract.


    He was a little bit more worried about what she was planning.


    <hr>


    The Stitch Witch grabbed one of the reanimators as it struggled within her grasp. She felt a slight affront to its presence as she saw its shoddy workmanship. How anyone could mistake her as one of these things grated her nerves as she snapped the creature¡¯s neck.


    The outsiders pulled out their guns as they shouted ¡°Shoot it!¡±


    No questions were asked as automatic gun fire was leveled on her position. The bullets passed through her without even touching her as each of the outsider mercenaries fired a few more bursts of gunfire thinking she was invisible instead of invulnerable.


    She watched them pulling out trinkets¡­ not magical artifacts as they lacked the cling of proper magic¡­ yet they were magical nonetheless. Some pulled out vials of ink making her think of the practitioners of the far east.


    She pulled out her wire as she had worked hard to ensure that no practitioners from the east lingered within her city. Others pulled out scraps of metal or batons¡­ she kept clear of those remembering that Kravos had some trick woven into his batons that had harmed her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked hovering over the possible Taoist priest as he drew symbols that weren¡¯t from any of the arts from the east that she knew of ¡°Where did you come from?¡±


    There was a panicked scream as she turned around seeing that one of the strangers had pulled out a strange pair of goggles¡­ but the fact he pulled out his gun and tried unloading a clip into her head made it clear that his goggles were of arcane origin.


    Something that allowed them to see her (and add to her collection) while still lacking the ability to harm her. Grabbing the wire she wrapped it around the person with the goggles. The man grasped at his neck trying to claw the wire free from his neck as his allies simply shot him trying to harm her.


    These outsiders were far more casual about killing their own allies knowing that these Reanimators could somehow bring them back to life with an ease that she truly envied.


    A mechanical spider forged from scraps of broken metal lunged at her face. She grabbed it in the air before it could reach her not trusting it to phase through her after being hit by a car this morning.


    Her paranoia paid off as the metal golem was caught in her grasp as somehow it could interact with her¡­ that it knew her. This made her toss the corpse aside while she devoted her new found interest into the tiny golem.


    It was an easy thing to carefully pluck it apart as the magic around it was different than what The Stitch Witch had been used to dealing with. Different, but not uniquely different as she placed her own needle and thread into the machine and took control of it.


    The crafter of the machine shouted ¡°Shit! Eldritch!¡±


    That same word Kravos had used when he ran into her. Some sort of ranking system of threat level or something else?


    Once the word was spoken they tossed objects meant to hide them in smoke, blind her from flashes of lights or rob her hearing from her. On a normal foe this would have been effective, but The Stitch Witch simply frowned underneath her mask.


    Getting rid of the smell of smoke was going to be a pain. Did they have any idea how hard it was for her to be able to get her clothing cleaned?


    The Stitch Witch simply appeared in front of the mercenaries and held the mechanical spider in front of their faces before channeling her magic through it to speak her name.


    The men and women who heard the name noticed her just long enough for her to grab them. They always struggled, but she was surprised at the sheer vicious streak they held when they realized they couldn¡¯t break her grip.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Some tried plunging wicked looking knives into her stomach. Others pulled their guns to fire point blank into her chest. Her favorite one was the one who simply pulled a string of his own before pulling every pin off every grenade strapped to his clothing.


    Oh how she wished she had been able to capture that one alive. The only one she had meant to kill on purpose was the awful woman who tried stabbing her in the exposed part of her mask.


    Her blood was going to be an utter pain to try and wash out.


    The family slowly crept out from behind the car they had been hiding behind reminding The Stitch Witch why she had come to help save this family in the first place.


    The husband spoke with a hint of disbelief and shock as if somehow speaking would shatter the illusion of them being saved ¡°How¡­ why?¡±


    The Stitch Witch leaned down to the member of the Council and his terrified family. She carefully gripped the man¡¯s chin and pulled it up to force him to meet her exposed section of her mask.


    ¡°You called my name.¡± She spoke as her voice was a whisper, but it drowned out all other sounds ¡°Your children called for my help. Your wife dumped the toxins down the drain fearing my wrath far more than the empty promises of your fellow Council members..¡±


    She held up the reanimator mask freshly plucked from its body ¡°Now you friends think you are lords of my city, yet mere rats tear your kingdom to pieces?¡±


    The Stitch Witch laughed as she took her trophy before listening to the other desperate souls calling her name¡­ the others begging for her aid when they tried to banish her once and for all.


    Pulling out the contract she placed it before the latest Council member as his eyes widened in horror. They were not the only ones with skill in forging annoyingly complicated and magically spell binding contracts.


    ¡°Agatha Willow still lives.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke to their horror ¡°Tonight is the night of ritual to claim the hill and her legacy. This plague of outsiders set to rip the ¡®heart¡¯ of your council is made by her hand to ensure that after tonight. There will not be enough of you to stop her from reclaiming the hill.¡±


    Maybe the husband might have looked over the contract if the smell of gunsmoke didn¡¯t linger in the air. Maybe the wife would have thought twice before penning her name to the contract if the corpse of the monsters sent by the outsiders wasn¡¯t lying on top of their minivan.


    The children could have spoken up if not for the eldest one trying to calm the youngest one in fear that the sound of crying might lure more monsters that seemed to be drawn to their fear.


    Rolling up the contract she chuckled before pulling out a cellphone much to the shock and horror of her new clientele as The Stitch Witch checked her messages. So far Nadel was doing fine¡­ a little bit confused and (sadly) out of her depth.


    Still the annoying one had proven quite skilled at running away and keeping them both alive. He hadn¡¯t ditched her and she was smart enough to run with the one who had ¡®Run away from threats more dangerous than her¡¯.


    After looking at the handiwork of his latest presurers she wasn¡¯t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. What they lacked in grace these outsiders certainly made up for in brutal efficiency¡­ another reason to be concerned about the annoying one¡¯s lingering presence within her city.


    To most people it would have been a mark of just how fast/cowardly the man was to try fleeing rather than fighting. To The Stitch Witch it was a mark of just how dangerous the man was. The annoying thing about survivors was that they learned things.


    Just look at the sheer amount of stories about how the heroes found that one survivor who whispered the secrets that they needed. The hidden path to avoid an entire army. The secret of how a dark lord fought to reveal the artifact they bound their soul to¡­ that a certain concubine had been replaced by something that was pretending to be her.


    She did her best to try and repress the cold shiver that ran down her spine.


    ¡°Fear the coward for Bravery is not the lack of fear¡­ but the ability to overcome it.¡± She muttered underneath her breath ¡°Just look at the Pink Dog cartoon. Cowardly for sure¡­ but far more dangerous than most of his villains had believed him to be.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about¡­ more forces from the old lands?¡± One of the council members spoke in fear. ¡°Maybe from the ancient tales of¡­¡±


    The Stitch Witch frowned ¡°Witless fools of past follies¡­ If you keep looking at the success of your past, then you shall fail to see how the rest of the world has advanced beyond your little world! Agatha Willow forgot this and nearly died as an old woman¡­¡±


    Old, rotting, decaying as every male fled her gaze or carefully slipped out of each contract, pact, and weave she made. The old witch nearly died due to her bloodline ending.


    She grabbed both the husband and the wife by the collars of their shirts ¡°You forgot that while you were safe in your ¡®cage¡¯ thinking of the day you took control of the golden cage. That the things outside of it can now creep inside.¡±


    She held up the mechanical construct made from scraps of metal, wire, and batteries instead of mud, cloth, or stone.


    ¡°This is a golem. Bound by scraps and magic to know all that exists around it.¡± She tossed it before them ¡°No gem, no rune, but a golem forged anew¡­ while you rested on your laurels and plans the rest of the world advanced their art and their craft.¡±


    She focused on the souls calling out her name now in more fear of those trying to kill them than those who feared her wrath after they tried to forget her.


    The Stitch Witch let her body fade from this spot and appear in another. Two men looked around trying to find where the council members had hid. The husband was shot dead, the child gagged in the back of a van, and the eldest son pinned to a wall as one of the Reanimators had finished laying out its tools.


    ¡°How do they transform?¡± The creature asked, pulling out the silver tipped scalpel ¡°Where does the fur come from? How does it generate more mass in moon light? What allows the alteration of the teeth¡­¡±


    The eldest son looked at her in a mixture of fear¡­ and then desperate hope.


    Gagged, bound and mouth halfway forced between man and beast he spoke her name like a prayer to the God of Hopeless Causes.


    The Stitch Witch laughed as the invaders turned, staring at her in shock ¡°I have been sent to give you a contract that needs to be signed.¡± She unrolled it ¡°As many of the others have come to agree to the same agreement.¡±


    She never bothered to mention that she was the one who wrote it and wanted it to pass¡­ if they thought one of the other council members had sent her then it wasn¡¯t her fault for their mistake.


    Still the outsiders quickly moved to try and take her down thinking she was like one of the various Magi they had been successful in hunting. The Stitch Witch moved carefully this time trying to capture one of the Reanimators alive this time as she killed the creature¡¯s minions.


    It was only a matter of time until she found their leader or managed to capture one of these Reanimators alive to claim their craft for herself.


    <hr>


    Nadel Kazult hid inside one of the back rooms of safe house location four¡­ or was it five? It was getting harder to remember as the young witch felt drained from having to run so much and use so much magic¡­ and still she focused on trying to draw upon the forgetting mist to weave new defenses for the two of them.


    She should have been excited to learn a new craft or how to draw from a new source of magic, but she was just too tired.


    Her body suffered from various aches and pains from their panicked attempts to flee, the heart racing madness when the outsiders spotted them and tried unleashing ever increasing amounts of ever growing madness...


    Yet they survived due to the ludicrous amounts and varieties of Kravos¡¯s exocitic powers, smokes, and madness. Her own charm needed to be recharged as the sheer amount of things and smells that seemed embedded into her own clothing messed with her own mind.


    Slight breaths that caused her heart to race as one person had tried to grab her only to scream in heart wrenching terror as they fell cowering like a frightened child. The drifting lingering smoke of the forgotten mist making her forget things.


    Endless Night, half the time she couldn¡¯t remember what gender the Heir of the Hill was or what he looked like. Of course now that the night was drawing to an end she was starting to feel the effects of this¡­ this unholy night.


    Memories half formed and half remembered started to plague her mind of five¡­ no four daughters of Agatha Willow and the¡­ the¡­


    ¡®Five Heirs. If four channel more magic into the clover charm.¡¯ Read the note in her hand.


    She channeled more magic as it tried to lift the fog of her mind allowing the half torn up fragmented memories of Kravos (last name pending).


    She could feel marks of his presence slowly being placed upon the city, yet for each memory of the girls that had formed¡­ another memory about himself seemed to be burned from her mind.


    The man from the city of eyes.


    The red cloaked Magician set up his fake ¡®magical¡¯ table meant to draw the eyes from the true arcane he weaved behind the scenes. He lacked the presence most Wizards and Magi used or possessed to impose his will upon reality.


    Agatha Willow¡¯s magic was made by her presence and force of personality. An actor on a stage trying to gain everyone¡¯s attention as she made her own story a reality if even only for a moment.


    Kravos was more like¡­ more like one of those stage hands behind the scenes¡­ or a stage magician just like how his moniker implied as most of his tricks were preventing his audiance (or enemies) from knowing how he was able to pull off his absurd feats.


    Yet now the spotlight was being focused on him revealing the secrets of his past and his craft. So in response the elusive magician pulled at the curtains to hide his history and past on general principle rather than any real knowledge or understanding of what was happening.


    Just a sheer¡­ presence or¡­ anti-presence that just tried to devour memory itself. The anti-presence that made you forget him or simply underestimate him.


    Rubbing her aching head Kravos finally sat down as he checked his seemingly endless bag of tricks before grunting ¡°Davin is being dealt with by the locals. Trica¡­ police are after her and she hasn¡¯t found me yet.¡±


    "We just need to last till morning." She muttered checking her watch "Just a few more minutes and then they will all be gone."


    He stared at her as if she was insane as he didn''t understand the full scale of Agatha Willow''s magic. It irked her a little, but if he didn''t know it was possible than the people who had been chasing after him before he came to this city would be caught by suprise.


    They thought they had as much time as they wanted instead of a few more minutes.


    Nadel pulled out a potion and slowly dabbed some of the red liquid and rubbed it across her wounds. The mist had helped a little, but Trica¡¯s mercenaries preferred ¡®spray and pray¡¯ tactics even when wearing full face breathing masks.


    While she had been able to stop some of the bullets, she had grown a healthy fear of guns after tonight. It was going to take some time to ease that fear as right now gunfire was akin to the trumpet call of old that signaled an enemy cavalry charge.


    ¡°I have to ask¡­¡± Nadel spoke tossing the magician the cloth soaked with the healing potion ¡°What exactly did you do to have them send a small army after you?¡±


    The cloth practically hit him in the face as he was forced to remove his face coverings. Even now the mist that made memories fuzzy made it hard for her to focus on remembering what he looked like.


    Still the fragmented memories caused by Agatha¡¯s Willow spell started to fill in some of the details as the pale man looked at her in fear. Ever since he came back to Willow¡¯s Hill his eyes had a _____ _____ with ____ ___-____ iris.


    Yet as soon as she saw it they had vanished to be replaced by mundane bloodshot brown eyes with bags underneath his gaze. His ___ had gripped ___ ____ in fear.


    She put more magic into her charm trying to clear away more of the mist as it continued trying to erase details from her mind as she focused on the memories of their history together...


    Their lack of history.


    She didn¡¯t know him. She hadn¡¯t spent time in his room as they talked about his attempts to learn magic or¡­ how she had once¡­


    Nadel Kazult grabbed her head as her fingers sank into her skull both infuriated at the memories of a semi-normal childhood friend and the all too real lack of friends when anyone got to know Nadel Kazult instead of Nadel Smith.


    ¡°They made something dangerous and I tried finding a volcano to chunk it in.¡± He half-joked trying to avoid the subject


    She frowned knowing how the elusive magician loved collecting magical artifacts always claiming he could find a use for even the most cursed artifacts¡­ Her mind struggled as the curse of the hill trying to shove memories into her mind while the mist tried its best to rip them out.


    ¡°It¡¯s that stupid orb in your backpack isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked both having never seen it and remember asking about it last week. ¡°The thing that you Council Hawkings asked about when you came back last week¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kravos asked slightly worried as he saw her struggling


    There was a hint of fear in his voice as he hadn¡¯t shown her. The unease as he scanned the room trying to spot something while he lifted up his revolver. Endless Night that stupid revolver! She finally got the joke he made about it.


    Caster Rounds. Some sort of weave placed upon each shell to store spells he had cast before or something to that effect. A means to utilize pre-inscribed spells without wasting his own reservoir of magic.


    Something to add to her list of ¡®how is this possible¡¯ to ask after tonight.


    She glanced up from her notes as she noticed that Kravos had placed the healing potion over to the side and was staring at it as if he thought the potion had been drugged or something. That he wasn¡¯t struggling with the influx (and sudden removal) of memories only made him seem more¡­ unnatural to her.


    ¡°We only encountered each other today.¡± Kravos reminded/lied to her ¡°I stopped at the wrong house trying to get out of a storm. Lost a week to a witch and now trying to escape the very real people after my life.¡±


    Her phone buzzed as she checked the message.


    Mr Hawkings wanted to check for a reading and was checking if they should risk trying to extend the night¡­ or let it pass. Nadel nearly laughed if not for how nervous Kravos was.


    That he feared having a history in this city more than cybernetic undead dragons, and crazed undying foot soldiers unleashing neverborn monsters to tear through the streets!


    She sent the message to start the draw before pulling out her own deck of cards as on nights like this one could perform a crude attempt at reading the lines of fate to get a glimpse or warning of the future.


    All she needed to know was two fates instead of the tangled weave of five (or more). She just needed to know¡­ her own fate¡­ and his or where it stood separate from the city or together with it?


    There was a rattle of fist against door above them as a gravely strained voice practically screamed at the top of its inhuman lungs ¡°Ya¡¯zell the Traveler! I have come to reclaim what is mine!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on.¡± Kravos muttered ¡°Doesn¡¯t anyone who tried to kill me stay dead anymore!¡±


    Nadel opened up a closet big enough for her to hide in as the Magician discarded his attempts at illusion and trickery as he shoved the (fake) runic table against the table trying to brace it shut. That frightened her more than any threat or challenge.


    He wasn¡¯t using any tricks or illusions¡­ just pure desperation as he struggled trying to find lethal rounds to kill the next attacker.


    She pulled out the first two cards as she felt the curse take effect as history tried to bind the magician¡¯s past to this city.


    If you ignore the rope in the trees. You will take an eye for the eye was taken.


    The front door broke as she heard people scream ¡®Kill it¡¯ making her wonder what monsters were being flung at them this time? The minutes on her watch ticked down as they just needed to hold out for just a little bit longer.


    She placed the two cards aside before drawing the next two to divine their meaning.


    For the silence brings inspiration at the door. The Pale-Faced innocent will drown in bile.


    The sound of objects breaking as the inhuman cry tore at the door burned as if somebody had tried cutting it open with a blow torch. Smoke filled the air yet the Magician who always fled was now staying firmly entrenched in the corner of the room trying to find something in his bag.


    Nadel pulled the last card.


    And he will be paid his Price.


    She peeked through the hole in the closet door as what looked like a demon tore into the room. She had seen supernatural creatures that touched upon myth and legend¡­ things that were thought to be impossible by normal people, but¡­ this?


    The demon for a better lack of a word was tall like a human if you stretched out the limbs making them more jagged and predatory. Its eyes were pale white like a dead fish as each step it took burned as she could hear skin seemed to snap and pop as it cooked.


    Taking up magic she didn¡¯t have much faith towards¡­ faith. Even less when she realized who her grandmother was. After that stories of faith just felt¡­ less magical. That most of those ¡®divine acts¡¯ felt more like a Magi pulling the strings behind the scenes.


    So it took her as a surprise when the large talon tipped monster with curved horns, sharp teeth, and devil like appearance tore into the room dressed like a lawyer in red clothing. The only thing missing were the cloven feet.


    It ducked when a shot went off as Kravos shouted ¡°Seriously why can¡¯t they just stay dead?¡±


    Nadel wrote the Magician¡¯s fate unto her notepad as she could make sense of it later. For now she had to see her own fate as she pulled out her own cards.


    Beyond the city walls, You will sleep among the polished bones and the forgotten shall be recalled.


    She dropped the cards staring at them in disbelief. If fate was to be played out she was going to leave Willow¡¯s Hill in the future¡­ the second part of that fate sounded a little bit concerning, but she could feel it being tied to the Magician¡¯s fate¡­ if only after his hand of the cards had been dealt with.


    You will test yourself against the soul of thunder, But the knife in your back is sharper.


    Nadel wrote the message down even while she feared what her future entailed... there were not a lot ways to interpert ''knife in your back'' as a good sign.


    She glanced at the Magician who pulled out a silver orb ¡°You want this Nicka¡¯li?¡±


    The creature hissed staring at the object with open lust and greed only for the magician to cock his revolver against it.


    ¡°Leave this city and these people or I will pull the trigger!¡± He spoke in a firm tone. ¡°I bet my odds of surviving this are better than yours!¡±


    The demon smiled seemingly ready to take the offer ¡°So many names to hide behind, yet still the red shirt tries to defy his fate.¡±


    Nadel closed her eyes as she could feel the thing pressing against the edges of the ancient spells, curses, and weaves crafted by every Witch of the Hill since the first witch claimed the hill. Something about it had a more solid tie to the magician¡¯s fate that struggled against the weave Agatha Willow had tried to make.


    The demon turned towards her as she saw it¡­ the creature saw her from behind the closest doors as it focused on her ¡°Ah Ya¡¯zell¡­ what do we have here?¡±


    The last words were spoken with a hint of twisted interest¡­ the type you¡¯d hear from the Stitch Witch when she caught someone trying to break a contract with her or maybe Agatha Willow when she found a male soul who caught her interest before the luckless fool managed to escape the city limits.


    The doors flew open as it spoke ¡°Is this _ ___ ___ ____ or ___ y_u __ve _elp?¡±


    The words weren¡¯t taken by the mist, but torn from her mind as she felt herself trying to scream. The creature spoke yet each sound felt like a cleaver tearing through her body. The sounds, the words¡­ the very act of its breath seemed to tear at her soul as if she was being torn apart by it¡¯s sheer unnatural presence.


    The gun clicked as the male heir fired the gun. Nadel grabbed something calling to her as she funneled her magic into it trying to make whatever it was stop!


    It had to....


    ¡°Every¡­¡± The sound of the demon was suddenly choked as rain fell upon them.


    Pain filled her body, but she felt whole¡­ better to be aching in every joint as she could taste blood in her mouth than¡­ then¡­ whatever that was.


    Nadel saw the morning sun drifting out from over the hill edge. They were standing on top of the house on the hill¡­ Agatha Willow¡¯s house to be precise.


    The young witch rubbed her eyes as she could feel fate being rewritten and forced upon this city. She could feel some of the horrors being forgotten or gently shoved to the side as it was boxed up under less¡­ supernatural horror.


    Yet the demon swinging in the wind stayed etched upon her mind.


    The same demon that had been their final challenge now had a rope tied around its neck as she could remember that it had been hanging there for years. They all thought it was a bad halloween decoration that she had never taken down.


    Yet she could also remember how it spoke to Kravos knowing him¡­ how the creature¡¯s mere presence started to tear at her mind and possibly her soul¡­ the one monster that forced the Magician to stand and fight rather than try to flee once more.


    The cold dead eyes seemed to focus on her before the corpse drifted in the breeze revealing a sign that hung around its neck.


    ¡°The Blue Lady Stand Defiant. Soul Stealer.¡±


    ¡°Blue Lady?¡± The magician spoke in confusion ¡°What the heck is going on here?¡±


    Nadel¡¯s phone buzzed for a moment before she pulled it out as a sinking feeling of dread dropped in her stomach as she saw Alexandria Willow standing in what looked like a normal city if not for¡­ the sheer wrongness the witch felt from the spire that stood in the background.


    It looked like a tower but the word Spire overrode any and all thought or word. It would be like trying to call a cup a chair or a bed an escalator... yet there was a look of utter dread when the Magician stared at his phone.


    The text attached to the picture read ¡°I think this is actually Lyonesse.¡±


    The next picture showed one of the undead cyborg dragons standing next to a rather large building with lots of people in suits going in and out of it. It looked similar to the brief glance of the draconic horror that attacked the warehouse district.


    ¡°How did she get in Kornea?¡± The Heir of the Hill asked in confusion ¡°And wasn¡¯t Nicka¡¯li trying to kill us just a few seconds ago?¡±


    Nadel glanced at the hanging demon before looking at the Magician.


    ¡°You are going to want to lie down for the next part.¡± She muttered lying down on the grass and ignoring how uncomfortable the ground was ¡°The next part sucks if you are caught standing.¡±


    The sudden rush of realty pressed upon them as Nadel closed her eyes trying to focus on what to keep separate from her memories and trying to slowly let it drip feed into her mind. New thoughts, memories, feelings and history forced itself as she struggled to remember what had happened before and what was now reality.


    The presence was uncomfortable, but after a few seconds had passed she had managed to slowly get up¡­ and see that Kravos Lynch hadn¡¯t managed to brace himself fast enough as he had fallen over¡­ and was now rolling down the hill unconscious.


    The young witch glanced at the hanging demon who had tried to kill them as it now hung on the tallest branch of the tree. Pieces of a story half spoken and forgotten whispered to her mind trying to place a name on the former human¡­ yet it unsettled her deeply.


    ¡°Why am I affected?¡± She muttered feeling the slight edges of a connection with the other four heirs.


    Each one fragmented, slightly frustrated¡­ and conflicted.


    Her old childhood friend¡­ her first shy crush¡­ the young boy born without magic who returned with the ability to suddenly be able to cast magic much to everyone¡¯s surprise as they asked how he had obtained the ability to cast magic without being born with it?


    How she competed with Alexandria in study of the art¡­ how that damn half-elf Averia liked to toy with her. How Rebbeca had gone through a punk phase¡­ or how Scarlet struggled trying to find where her craft would be formed.


    She knew the memories were fake yet she rubbed her skin feeling new ¡®old¡¯ scars from a misadventure¡­ or suddenly being able to remember certain spell books and texts far easier. How the house behind her seemed to rapidly shift to fit the new ¡®reality¡¯ being imposed upon it.


    Yet the demon still hung.


    It acted as a firm reminder of the past and the fear she had felt¡­ it practically radiated the sort of¡­ anti-presence Kravos had, but instead of hiding this one simply ate the edges of reality.


    More to it then that¡­ she felt a second presence down the hill as she realized why Kravos seemed to resistant to the ancient spell that had been used by each Witch of the Hill throughout the generations.


    The orb that had rolled out of his backpack was left in the open. The silver orb that seemed to pulse with unnatural life as the demon in the tree seemed to turn staring at it even in death.


    Fearing that it might somehow cut itself free from the hangman¡¯s rope she raced over to the orb and prepared to pick it up¡­ only for it to suddenly roll away from his touch.


    Her hand shot back in fear ¡°What?¡±


    A voice dug into the back of her mind ¡°You are not beloved by the Spire. This seed shall rest within his grasp until it is time to be planted again.¡±


    She blinked staring at the orb dumbfounded as it rolled back into the backpack and somehow unzipped the backpack.


    A nervous chuckle escaped her lip as her phone buzzed. Pulling it out she heard Mr Hawkings speak ¡°Is he still alive and intact?¡±


    Nadel Kazult glanced at the tree and then at the backpack ¡°Tired and a bit worn out¡­ just out of curiosity¡­ do you know of any nearby volcanoes?¡±


    There was a silent pause as she could feel the unspoken question being asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say¡­¡± She shivered trying to get out of sight of the hanging demon ¡°Agatha Willow really went out of her way to spite this city before her death.¡±


    "Put the heir someplace safe while I get all the suriving Council members to meet you within Agatha Willow''s House." Mr Hawking spoke with a hint of unease "The Elf King will be paying us a visit and if the male heir is... compromised."


    "Don''t worry." Nadel spoke carefully removing the revolver from the person in question "He made a pact allowing me to kill him if he became compromised. What about the rest of the city?"


    There was an awkward pause "All threats against the city had been removed. The third parties are going back home or preparing to try diplomacy... the Outsiders on the other hand are infurated as they seem to be setting up camp at the edge of the city limits."


    Nadel glanced at Kravos "You are not going to let him leave the city."


    "There were thirty three Council Member yesterday morning. There are only twelve now, including me." The man spoke in a bitter tone "That is for the Council to decied on what his fate shall be."


    Mr Hawkings ended the phone call as Nadel sighed trying to sort out the memories and her question on what she was going to do now. She surived the night... and now things seemed even more complicated than before.

 Ch8

    I sat in the bed as she sat next to me. Alexandria smiled as she tried teaching me about M__gic. Even if our __#$@-__ was a __-


    It never happened Dais.


    <hr>


    Averia wore her swimsuit as she chuckled ¡°Come on ____! I know you don¡¯t like the outdoors, but you have to admire the View¡± The sunset over the ))#34)_ As she lean___#@-_


    You tried to flee, but you failed.


    <hr>


    Nadel wipped the tears from her eyes "You have no idea how hard it _. I __ough_ you would be ____ the _____s. As they A_wa_s Lea__. When they fin_ 0_T..."


    These people do not know you.


    <hr>


    I finally left the Spire...


    But the Spire has not let you go just yet.


    <hr>


    The Spire pulsed around me as I continued running as fast as I could. Sweat drenched my forehead as I could hear it running after me. I was a red shirt, a minor background character trying to survive far past my ability.


    Tossing more traps behind me I could hear him talking ¡°You will not forget me. I am a part of your past.¡±


    I turned around.


    The Hand grabbed my head as I could see the black eyes embedded into the flesh staring into my own ¡°I exist in your present.¡±


    I pulled out the revolver


    ¡°And we shall met in the future.¡±


    <hr>


    I snapped out of bed as the smell of smoke filled my nose. The various runes and alarms around my bed flared to life causing me to curse as I still hadn¡¯t figured out how to make a good ¡®Safe sleep ward¡¯ that didn¡¯t reak of smoke and possibly set my surroundings on fire.


    "Salt and Ash." the curse cried out of my mouth "What happened to me last night?"


    I tried crawling out of my bed in an attempt to quickly put out the smoking bits of carpet. Sadly for me I lacked the seemingly mythical healing ability most people in stories had¡­ and that was being able to fully recover after a good night''s sleep.


    My legs practically buckled underneath my feet as all the pain and exhaustion from last night took over leaving me with a face full of slightly burnt carpet in front of my face. My mind felt like it was about to drift back into sleep, but the ever present slightly burnt carpet forced me awake.


    With a huff I did the only thing I could do¡­ and simply rolled over the slightly singed parts of the carpet until my brain figured out how my legs worked again or how to operate my arms¡­ that or restore feeling to them.


    ¡°What time is it¡­¡± I muttered, partially waking up ¡°And what problem is plaguing me today?¡±


    Looking up from the tangled mess of sheets I glanced at the utter clustering mess of my apartment room back in Kornea. The same old haphazardly repaired bookcase stuffed full of various magical theories to comic books and novels. The TV stand was a random bazaar of random figures and minor experiments.


    Trying to slither out of the tangled mess of sheets and whatever else had clung to my body. I struggled to pull myself up to stand¡­ before promptly falling face first on the carpet again.


    Say what you want, but I paid good money for my carpet! It never hurt having something soft to collapse on. Hardwood might look nice, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as comfortable when you were stuck crawling across the floor while your body decided to remind you of every dull aching pain and injury you had gained yesterday.


    ¡°Rule one. Check for burns and wounds.¡± I reminded myself ¡°After I count how many had been added I consult the Book of Injuries.¡±


    The crude plastic binder sat on the edge of the desk as it had become a habit to list everything that had hurt me if only to list how best to treat those injuries. Since I was still alive it also helped to check what gave me these injuries.


    After checking over to make sure they were simply mundane injuries¡­ bruises, a possible twisted ankle¡­ no not twisted. Just sore. I flinched as I had what looked like bullet wounds, but they had mostly healed over.


    I didn¡¯t remember getting shot recently.


    ¡°Not remember getting shot...¡± I spoke in a deep sigh ¡°This is why I want to leave this city. The moment you forget when you got shot is when things have gotten too dangerous.¡±


    Glancing at the desk I saw that it was still full of my old equipment as I must have forgotten to put it away last night. Various vials flickered with a multitude of colors in the dim morning light. The plastic tubes linking the mess probably needed to be washed out and¡­ the cooling pot of ink hadn¡¯t been sorted into more reasonable containers.


    ¡°I really need a more efficient way to practice.¡± I muttered as the blood stains on the cutting board were going to be a pain to wash out now that they had dried.


    ¡®You should just try making pacts with spirits¡¯ A fragmented memory played out in my head ¡®Not all of this mad science or¡­¡¯


    I slapped myself in the face as the soothing pain snapped me back into reality ¡°Magic isn¡¯t crazy latin pseudo wards, twiddling of fingers, or ¡®comes from the heart¡¯ nonsense.¡±


    Grabbing the inky black substance I began to start carefully filling the pens on the side ¡°It comes from cost. It is refined by study. Then it is paid in blood, sweat, and tears before finally being reduced down to the dull and mundane.¡±


    While this wasn¡¯t my favorite method to practice magic it was the more economically feasible one considering my budget range. Everything was neat, clean, repeatable, and no hidden flaws that were kept away from the very repeatable and established magical/scientific papers published on the subject.


    All that really mattered was how you used the knowledge and applied your tricks to hide it. The only reason why it was called ¡®magic¡¯ was because humanity had yet to figure out how all of the science worked yet.


    I coughed as a bit of blood hit my hand¡­ ¡°Oh that¡¯s not good.¡±


    It was bad when you coughed up blood¡­ worse when it lacked that nice healthy red color blood should be. What covered my hand was a very unrefined black substance as I felt a pain in my side. Another pained cough made me decide to skip the ¡®home care¡¯ method and take the dice with the hospitable.


    Surely I hadn¡¯t done anything to warrant anybody to try kidnapping me from the hospitable¡­ for this week at least... Probably.


    Stumbling towards the door I clenched my side and spoke up ¡°Jack¡­ what exactly happened last night and would it be too much to ask for a ride to the hospitable from¡­ you¡­¡±


    Instead of the normal wooden hallway that lead to the kitchen/living room where Jack should have left his stupid weight machine/tripping hazard out in the hallway again¡­ was a hallway full of doors and a set of stairs.


    The apartment specifically lacked stairs when not all of the neighbors in the apartment complex weren¡¯t human. It was one of those swift brutal reminders that informed you that Kornea wasn¡¯t a normal city.


    ¡°Gun first. Then stairs.¡± I muttered stumbling back into my room and retrieved the spare revolver and taser baton from my dresser. ¡°If this is a dream¡­ we can see if you can die when you try threatening me with death.¡±


    The empty words hung in the air as I found the old style flame lantern and the red gloves covered in black ink symbols¡­ Jack would hate me, but I¡¯d rather be alive for him to curse me out for being an idiot as I took up the old tools.


    The green flame flicked as soon as I picked up the lantern as I slipped the baton in my pocket before keeping the revolver leveled on the hallway. Each step still ached as I more or less stumbled down trying not to simply fall down the stairs.


    What had been waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs wasn¡¯t an eldritch landscape, confusing dream warping reality, or anything that rang ¡®shoot first, ask questions if still alive¡¯ which was generally a good thing.


    Seeing two women stare at me in shock realizing that I was armed probably didn¡¯t help¡­ right up until I remembered I was practically kidnapped. So any feelings of guilt quickly were washed away by valid fear for my own life.


    ¡°Where¡­¡± My head still ached as I tried to sort out what happened last night ¡°By the Spire. Where am I and do I need to threaten to do something stupid.¡±


    ¡°Too late for that boss.¡± A familure if annoying voice rang out ¡°You already did the stupid.¡±


    I stared at the old/hated face of an imp who sighed as he was hung up like some wild animal they had caught. Yet despite the obvious danger he was in, the pale red and white imp wore his same old classic ¡®Always ready for a trade¡¯ smile as if he wasn¡¯t in danger at all.


    ¡°I have no idea what that thing is and whatever it promised you is probably a lie.¡± I flat out lied while trying to look for an exit


    The fact that Futurm was here was always a bad sign. In fact I had made measures to ensure that we didn¡¯t meet. Jack had even said ¡®If I ever see you again I will shoot you¡¯ and that man rarely threatened to try and kill anyone!


    ¡°Well last night I was setting up a trade for new real estate.¡± The imp spoke in mild offense ¡°This morning I woke up here and trussed up like a christmas turkey!¡±


    ¡°This thing was working with the outsiders who invaded Willow¡¯s Hill and killed twenty two members of the council.¡± One of the women replied as she didn¡¯t hide her hatred ¡°This creature was getting ready to sell our territory while the owners were dying.¡±


    I glanced at the imp who wore a much more strained smile as it probably hurt to smile that hard as the Futurm tried to counter ¡°And I didn¡¯t get magically whisked away as if the laws of physics didn¡¯t apply¡­ much to my misfortune.¡±


    Now memories of last night started to slowly trickle back in as I noticed the chain marks against my wrist keeping me confined within the city limits¡­ how I had spent all of last night running and trying to hide as the sheer absurd amount of people had been sent after me.


    As if reading my mind the imp shouted ¡°Obviously not enough people since I¡¯m hanging here, Nicka¡¯li is hanging in the tree outside, and you somehow managed to escape the noose again.¡±


    ¡°So it was just my luck that I got stuck here when you all tried to invade this city?¡± I muttered wondering just how bad my luck was.


    The imp laughed only to earn a sharp jab from one of the girls ¡°Nope! As of yesterday you have officially been bumped up from an old grudge by Akara and now officially warranting the attention of Nyte himself after you managed to nearly escape without anyone realizing you stole the Eye of the Spire and one of the higher ups dying when they tried retrieving it from you!¡±


    The cold lump of fear dropped in my stomach as any thoughts about visiting a hospitable were quickly silenced. I¡¯d probably have a safer bet at trying to perform open heart surgery on myself than getting out of a hospital while Nyte was after me.


    ¡°I seriously doubt Outsiders wasted so much resources trying to chase after Kravos.¡± The woman with the pointed ear spoke as if she knew me ¡°You bleed elves to fuel that infernal contraption!¡±


    ¡°Davin bleed¡¯em as he wanted Ya¡¯zell to translate the notes he made and tried to destroy. Akara wanted Dais for the whole window pushing scene. Trica wanted ¡®Red Shirt¡¯ for the whole ¡®Graves Ball¡¯ book¡­¡± He chuckled as I practically felt the noose around my neck ¡°Which left Nicka¡¯li¡­¡±


    He paused trying to find the words before frowning ¡°He was here last night, but he has been hanging on that tree for at least a good year. I¡¯d be less concerned about ¡®my perceived crimes¡¯ than the folks here.¡±


    That earned him another sharp wack as memories of last night trying to play in the back of my head again. It felt like that large missing gap from when I woke up last time, but I could remember more bits of it.


    Mostly the running, paranoia, fleeing, hiding, and trying to escape which new colorful group was trying to capture and/or kill me before the old threats from Kornea decided they wanted first dips.


    I coughed again as another glop hit my hand reminding me that I needed to be more concerned with today rather than yesterday. I had survived last night and it was my duty to ensure that I continued that trend as long as humanly possible¡­ unless Reanimators were an option.


    ¡°Kravos are you okay?¡± That¡­ one girl spoke.


    My mind struggled to place the face. Tanned skin, black tank top and tight small pants? I wracked my brain trying to find her name as it starts with¡­ a K? Oh no a knife. She was crazy psychotic ¡®I stab you¡¯ vibe knife girl!


    Oh dear god! That was one who mutilated the corpse!


    I quickly packed away only to stumble backwards due to forgetting that there were stairs behind me as I hit the stupid things hard. If they had a carpet then I wouldn¡¯t have a really sharp pain in the back of my head right now.


    Carpets¡­ a pain to clean is better than a physical pain itself.


    I felt the hands carefully grab me as this wasn¡¯t a stranger grabbing me. There was a caution born out of concern as they panicked trying to help me get back up, while also trying to make sure I didn¡¯t get hurt again. They pulled on my arm a little bit too hard, and cursed a bit yet there was concern in that tone.


    After being blindly guided to a chair as my brain tried to figure out how to make sense of the gibberish that was supposed to be english¡­ my eyes struggled to focus on the other girl. Nadel who by chance happened to be holding the revolver gifted to me in one hand and a staff in the other.


    ¡°So I take it we survived last night¡­ or did we die?¡± I asked, glancing at the imp ¡°Reanimators, strange rooms, and so forth¡­¡±


    ¡°No you are alive, but it''s my job to make sure you stay alive.¡± Knife girl spoke in a way that was completely at odds with her yesterday ¡°Seriously! You could have asked for my father¡¯s help then risk having a dragon kill you!¡±


    She nearly threw up her hands before panicking as I spotted the cloth with a bit of red and black¡­ as she moved it to the back of my head. Oh great¡­ survive a small army trying to kill me and die from a staircase.


    That is why they removed them from apartment buildings in Kornea¡­ they are secretly trying to kill everyone. Stairs were insidious torture devices made by the most twisted of minds after all.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know that was an option¡­¡± I muttered trying to remember something that was important ¡°I mean¡­ you never told us your name knife lady.¡±


    The look of shock and pain filled her eyes as Nadel¡¯s eyes widened as Futurm burst out laughing before the cosplay witch struck him hard with her staff. My own mind tried to figure out how the knife lady even got tolkien elf ears. That was one of those details you tended to pay attention to when seeing someone.


    ¡°Averia¡­ Averia Willow?¡± The woman spoke with hints of growing concern in her voice ¡°The half-elf?


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Red Shirt would have mentioned knowing a crazy elf dame when he was¡­¡± The imp mocked before the tanned woman spun around and cracked him hard against the face with her nearby staff.


    Even despite the pain he must have been feeling the imp continued laughing as she screamed ¡°What did you do to him! Why doesn¡¯t he remember me! It was just yesterday that¡­¡±


    ¡°Second Law!¡± The pale imp sang in a mocking joyful tone ¡°You can¡¯t break the second law!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t alter the mind without consent.¡± Nadel spoke in a loud whisper ¡°Averia¡­¡±


    The tanned woman didn¡¯t listen as she grabbed the imp practically strangling him ¡°You came here trying to kill everyone! You bleed elves to feed your infernal contraption and now you did this! Why shouldn¡¯t I kill you!¡±


    ¡°Because we need answers.¡± A voice spoke up as everyone turned to face the speaker ¡°Because Agatha Willow had set her trap far better than anyone thought possible.¡±


    The tall dark skinned man had ruffled clothing as if he had slept in them and hadn¡¯t bothered changing out of them. There were bags underneath his eyes covered up by a patch of makeup yet the unmistakable hatred in his eyes was hard to hide.


    He looked at me with unease unsure of what to make of me¡­ yet the clear blinding hatred for Futurm was clear for all to see. The imp had stopped laughing and returned with a hate filled gaze of his own.


    ¡°Twig Humper.¡± The imp practically swore as he spat at the floor ¡°The dames I tolerate. You I don¡¯t.¡± I glanced at the imp ¡°They bargain with fae¡­ If we knew you lot were here. We would have sent a crusade here instead, you troglodytes!¡±


    The man returned a hate filled gaze of his own ¡°Please tell us what caused you to butcher women and children in their beds as a mere ¡®side effect¡¯ of tracking down a lost object? Not even Agatha Willow was as debased as your ilk as a tyrant.¡±


    Futurm laughed ¡°Hah! Got to make sure you lot don¡¯t try stealing from us again! If anything I¡¯m betting old Nyte is working out a few phone calls to clear this place of you heretics.¡±


    I held up a hand ¡°Heretics? Futurm¡­ you''re an atheist.¡±


    That caused a few odd stares at me as the imp countered ¡°Divinely challenged is my preferred term, but even basic decency should be expected. They tried slapping a rotten pact on you the first time you met him! Couldn¡¯t even get a proper pact right! That¡¯s when the higher ups sent authorization to send ol¡¯Fuithlug to burn em¡¯out!¡±


    That was news to me as I was both insulted that they stole¡­ okay technically Fuithlug wasn¡¯t mine anymore, but the point still counted! They forgot about me as they tried killing everyone linked to a bad pact¡­


    ¡°How much of that army was after me?¡± I asked, wondering if I stumbled across the next ¡®holy crusade¡¯ only without the government or ¡®normal¡¯ churches being involved.


    You know¡­ groups that could be bought out or reasoned with instead of being filled by holy burning convection that refuses any argument against it.


    ¡°Eh¡­ half and half.¡± The imp replied much to my dismay ¡°Called for reinforcements after the magic wall trick. Called for kill squads after we got a bad pact resonance¡­ Bloody thieves probably trying to steal the Eye of the Spire! Probably had one of their heads explode trying to cheat it from yah!¡±


    I raised my hand despite how foolish it looked ¡°Okay¡­ can I ask for a doctor for my head?¡± They all turned to face me ¡°I kind of took a bad fall.¡±


    <hr>


    Some time had passed as Nadel had apparently been appointed as my ¡®aid¡¯ which essentially boiled down to trying to make sure I didn¡¯t run away and to try and explain what was going on.


    So that was a ¡®no¡¯ for getting me a doctor for my possible head wound.


    Instead they had her adding more scribbles into her notebook as various people looking like they belonged in a fantasy Larp session walked into the house. Half of them didn¡¯t pay me any attention as they were treating me like a sick house cat they hoped wouldn¡¯t cough up a hairball on an expensive rug.


    The other half stared at me as if I was going to suddenly sprout wings and eat their children as one mother actually tried to hide her children behind her as if fearing I would swallow their soul just by looking at them.


    Nadel was busy trying to work with some sort of¡­ potion as she tried to explain ¡°You are the first male heir in¡­ a long time. The first one who claims ownership by succession instead of marriage at least.¡±


    ¡°No offense¡­¡± I muttered trying to ignore the various glares ¡°If you give me a plane ticket I will gladly fly out of the city.¡±


    Walking and driving away wasn¡¯t going to work with the ¡®border patrol¡¯ resting outside the city limits. Yet somehow my offer was met by sheer disbelief as if I was insane for wanting to get out of this powder keg before the fuse was lit.


    Maybe not ¡®powder keg¡¯ and something more akin to nitroglycerin. After all powder kegs need something to set it off. Nitroglycerin on the other hand didn¡¯t need help to suddenly explode.


    Knife girl¡­ no Averia just sat off to the side staring at me looking hurt, confused, and a little bit heart broken. The woman who I was almost sure had threatened to stab me with a knife yesterday.


    Details are a little fuzzy, but I¡¯m certain none of her feelings counted as romantic.


    The witch coughed politly ¡°Eye of the Spire¡­ the silver orb thing that we should never be exposed to blood due to the ¡®crazy reality warping nonsense¡¯ as you called it?¡±


    That sent a shiver down my spine because I had made damn sure to hide it. Even with my hazy memory of yesterday (possible head trauma notwithstanding). I was pretty sure that there was no hints, shows, or reveals of the cursed object and certainly no ¡®showing¡¯ of the damn thing either!


    The look on her face said it all ¡°You really find it unsettling that we know¡­ also how many names do you have?¡±


    ¡°One for every new possible threat.¡± I dimly replied ¡°Makes it harder for people trying to kill me to find others with a similar mindset.¡±


    That actually earned a chuckle out of the elf girl which was both somehow endearing and slightly worrying. The latter due to the fact she could overhear the conversation and knew about the orb.


    ¡°How paranoid are you?¡± Nadel asked as she seemed to apply a bit more pressure to the back of my head before easing up ¡°I mean¡­ Endless Night¡­ things are a bit messed up right now, but I have to ask.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    There was a long and silent pause as she seemed unsure of asking the question she wanted or worried that by asking the question I might learn something she¡¯d rather have kept secret¡­ just like me not wanting anyone to even know about said artifact lying unprotected in the room that looked like my old apartment room.


    ¡°You have no idea what the Witch¡¯s Legacy is.¡± Averia finally spoke in defeat ¡°You have no idea who I am¡­ who we are.¡±


    There was a deep pain in her voice as I swore there were hints of tears in her eyes. For some odd reason it hurt, yet the more rational part of my mind reminded me that Futurm didn¡¯t trust these people and he¡¯d trade, barter, and sell to just about anyone with the ink to pay.


    ¡°I remember someone trying to make a Pact with me yesterday promising not to kill me so long as I don¡¯t try breaking any laws.¡± I spoke as Nadel froze up in fear ¡°Also remember the Pact Rebound killing the man, burning some magical paper contract, and The Stitch Witch laughing¡­¡±


    I never even finished the words as the eldritch being in question decided at that moment to just appear in the hallway as if waiting for her dramatic reveal. Nadel practically hid behind me while Averia pulled out her staff and a freaking cross of all things.


    The being in question stared at it for a few seconds ¡°I believe that works only if you believe in the God of Lost Causes¡­¡± She stared at the elf girl and then at me before speaking in a mocking tone ¡°Though in this case Lost Causes might qualify.¡±


    There was a loud ¡®thud¡¯ as a rather tall regal looking tanned skin man appeared. His entire appearance screamed ¡®elven noble¡¯ from how he stood, dressed, and somehow managed to get a truck sized wolf somehow magically appear right outside the window where everybody could see it.


    There was an obvious tension in the room as the witch in question shook her head ¡°I am here as a guest Lord of the Forgotten Woods. While Agatha¡¯s spite has done much to harm this town it is my task to help aid in the repairs of my city.¡±


    The elf king glared at her ¡°Only the filth resting outside of this city keeps me from striking you down. Stay away from my daughter.¡±


    That somehow earned a large harsh chuckle from the person in question that was both insulting and mocking at best¡­ yet the girls seemed to be physically wincing in pain as if they were being struck.


    ¡°I work with the materials at hand instead of second rate bargains.¡± The Stitch Witch replied ¡°There must be certain standards of quality to work with instead of merely picking through the dregs.¡±


    That was when we all heard the thud of a sword. The Eldritch being showed her true inhuman nature as not everyone could casually examine a sword shoved straight in between their eyes. There was something certainly unnatural about the ease of her simply walking out of the blade and examining it as if it was a tacky singing bass fish on a wall.


    ¡°Iron?¡± The witch spoke in mild surprise ¡°I thought your kind destested Iron.¡±


    ¡°For you¡­ anything is worth a shot.¡± The elf lord practically snarled back


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Nadel was about to say something before her mouth was somehow forcibly shut as she nodded ¡°Stitch Witch¡­ why have you come? I must remind you that Kravos didn¡¯t exactly come out uninjured in his trial last night.¡±


    The Stitch Witch nodded her head ¡°Ah¡­ right. The favor you owe me Kravos Lynch¡­ I want you on the first plane out of this city once the Council agrees to break the bindings on your wrists.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± I spoke without even needing a second to think.


    Again with the dumbstruck stares as The Stitch Witch removed a Reanimator mask ¡°Also their work was tacky¡­ uninspired¡­ yet I am envious of their medical expertise. Who taught them?¡±


    ¡°No clue¡­ Davin might know, but the other folks in cloaks are probably calling for his head due to him bringing the undead dragon along.¡± I calmly informed her ¡°So we are even? No hard feelings about me shooting you in the face?¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Averia shouted in disbelief ¡°How!¡±


    ¡°For now¡­¡± The Stitch Witch replied carefully pulling the sword out of the wall ¡°Though you may have made a terrible mistake just now.¡±


    The elf king and creepy eldritch witch walked out of the room and into what I guessed was an office room. The type you expected business executives to make backroom business deals and powerpoints clip shows about ¡®How we shall take over the world¡¯ written planly for everyone to see.


    The doors shut behind them as Averia spoke up ¡°Okay¡­ how did someone who couldn¡¯t cast a basic cantrip go from that¡­ to being able to shoot¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say her name.¡± Nadel quickly spoke in fear ¡°She will hear it and Kravos doesn¡¯t know it.¡±


    The odd long pause as if somehow that was somehow more absurd than me panicking and shooting an eldritch witch in the face thinking she was related to eldritch monsters who could bring dead people back to life.


    God I hated my life sometimes.


    ¡°Okay then¡­¡± The half-elf crossed her arms ¡°You can¡¯t remember me right now¡­¡±


    It is hard to remember someone you never met, but I wasn¡¯t dumb enough to say that outloud. I already had enough people outside the city trying to kill me. I didn¡¯t need to try adding people inside the city to that list.


    ¡°But Nadel told me you were casting magic last night¡­ like a lot of magic.¡± She spoke as if it needed to be repeated ¡°I remembered you struggling with a basic cantrip going red in the face when I said ¡®I would take off my top if you did succeed¡¯ when we were over by the lake.¡±


    There was a deliberate pause as Nadel¡¯s face just grew red as while the woman who spoke it just sort of grinned as if that would somehow make me remember. The seconds passed by as my lack of relocation or understanding just brought that same look of heartbreak all over again.


    It took me a few seconds before I realized why I didn¡¯t remember as there was nothing wrong with my memories¡­ but hers.


    Nadel telling me what happened if someone captured an Heir of the Hill rang in my mind as I stared at Averia not in any romantic feelings or lust¡­ but fear. Whoever she had been yesterday had been rewritten into whoever this person was¡­ today.


    That was enough to stop any romantic feelings or interest as the urge to flee from this city even by foot sounded promising! The worst the people who had been chasing me could do is kill me and then probably bring me back to life for proper torture and threats.


    You know¡­ sane but reasonable fears instead of sheer stomach clenching terror!


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± Nadel spoke as there was unease in her voice ¡°The Witch¡¯s Legacy¡­ lets you rewrite reality¡­ or that¡¯s the short version of it.¡±


    Averia nodded her head with a hint of guilt ¡°Only for part of the city¡­ you get full control if you are the only one left of course¡­ not that I¡¯m trying to kill you!¡± She added in a panic ¡°I have no idea what that thing did to you, but I really am not trying to kill you¡­¡±


    She tugged on her hair in frustration trying to make it clear that she was being honest¡­ and the creepy thing was? That nagging feeling that was screaming as I realized for some completely ludicrous reason¡­ I believed her.


    Not that believing her was crazy¡­ but that it was if I knew I could take her word in the same way you would trust a good friend who promised you that they were telling the truth.


    I glanced at Nadel and tried to whisper ¡°I take it that is the reason why this council is paranoid about me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you seem to be trusting her over me.¡± Averia spoke in a slightly bitter tone as I hadn¡¯t whispered soft enough ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t remember¡­¡±


    ¡°She had plenty of opportunities to push me in front of a machine gun last night and she made a Pact to promise not to kill me.¡± I quickly replied ¡°I¡¯d offer to make one with you, but I understand if¡­¡±


    The half-elf shot out her hand ¡°I promise not to kill you! Same!¡±


    I shook her hand as¡­


    ¡®Averia smiled wearing a swimsuit meant to show off her curves. She chuckled at the edge of the cliff face that stood over the lake and whispered ¡°Like the view?¡± before seemingly hinting at taking off her top before bumping me into the water and laughing¡­¡¯


    I pulled my hand back as the half-elf practically jumped back shouting as she clutched her hand. It was rather impressive for how far she could jump. Trust Averia Willow to never stand down from a challenge¡­


    I didn¡¯t know her. The memories half formed died as I tried to keep hold of my own sanity while all the while the half-elf stared at her own hand before looking at me wearing the largest smug smirk she had since raiding Alexandria¡¯s¡­


    ¡°I knew you just couldn¡¯t forget me!¡± She shouted in ecstatic glee before staring at her own hand ¡°Just have to ask¡­ are you still human?¡±


    Somehow that comment annoyed me more than the unwanted intrusion of memories that didn¡¯t belong to me. Call me odd, but I kind of took offense to people questioning my humanity!


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m still human. I was born human, died human, brought back to life as human and so forth¡­¡± I muttered much to the shock and disbelief of the girls ¡°Reanimators kind of get their name from their ability to bring people back to life.¡±


    There was a long pause before Averia interjected ¡°Sure, but you kind of had the handshake you get when Creepy Needle Lady shakes your hand¡­ only less ¡®I totally screwed up¡¯ aftermath feeling. I mean I kind of get the unsettling feeling that my head would explode before I shoved a knife in your heart...¡±


    ¡°Your heart¡­¡± Nadel interjected ¡°Creepy Needle Lady confirmed that he died of a heart attack when he tried using the death pact on Kravos before it went up in flames¡­ literal flames.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡± The half-elf stared at me as if I had grown a second head ¡°What the heck happened to you in this crazy nonsense city full of undead dragons, demons, and warlocks!¡±


    I glanced at the closed doors where people were talking about my fate along with the possible (or real) fear that I could somehow warp reality due to the fact I wasn¡¯t killed last night¡­ something which held more credence after interacting with Averia.


    ¡°First of all¡­ there are no demons in Kornea.¡± I spoke, earning a huff of disbelief from the two girls ¡°They are technically non-human entities that merely look like demons¡­ because if they were actually demons the Crusader factions would have already killed them all¡­¡±


    ¡°And that is somehow less insane than walking talking demons.¡± Averia spoke as if mocking the idea ¡°Because last night there were a lot of ¡®totally not demons¡¯ binding people with pacts, unleashing horrific blood crazed monsters , before they sacrificed the elves they had captured in a ¡®totally not a blood ritual¡¯ to power their infernal undead abominations.¡±


    ¡°That last part is because Davin is essentially a mad scientist who lacks any morals.¡± I replied with as much of a straight face as possible ¡°I have litteral books in my room explaining how the first two parts work.¡±


    Trying to justify the ¡®blood ritual bit¡¯ by explaining the limitation of resources solved by the cold methodical sacrifice of ¡®elves¡¯ who¡¯s blood could be refined into an alternative fuel source. That would probably get me stabbed¡­ repeatedly.


    ¡°Well?¡± Nadel asked as she pointed towards the back of the house ¡°What exactly is hanging outside?¡±


    ¡°Someone who tinkered with his genetics to allow more predatory traits to become apparent while trying to achieve a biological state of immortality akin to a lobster or jellyfish¡­¡± I paused as they stared at me ¡°Without the whole ¡®side effects¡¯ that end up killing them instead of making them able to live forever if somebody doesn¡¯t murder them.¡±


    ¡°The whole ¡®demon look¡¯ is mostly because the founder of their group hated crusaders and thought that looking like demons looked neat¡­¡± I took a deep breath ¡°And because of the whole ¡®Pact¡¯ deal¡­ Let others think they can cheat a Pact by letter instead of Spirit only to suffer a Pact rebound¡­ You don¡¯t have to be a demon to be an awful person.¡±


    ¡°But it does make for a good excuse¡­¡± Averia muttered ¡°So the imp¡­¡±


    ¡°Can be killed by a shotgun.¡± I firmly stated ¡°Though he is a natural born. His parents opted for becoming ¡®Imp Lords¡¯ for longer lifespans and not giving a damn about morality. The whole ¡®imp child¡¯ you can blame on the change in species.¡±


    There was a long pause as explaining it certainly wasn¡¯t making things better.


    ¡°Hey to be fair my first day ended with me nearly being killed by cops when I rested in the wrong inn getting here¡­¡± Averia looked slightly guilty ¡°And that is without nearly being framed for murder, killed, left in an empty warehouse with two useless bodyguards¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey they sent the Knight of Damascus!¡± Nadel shouted in defense.


    I glanced at her ¡°That was really helpful when the undead dragon came by¡­ or when the people with machine guns and rocket launchers just simply chased after us. Tell me how good a sharp pointy toothpick would have been against any of them?¡±


    She grunted not wanting to admit I was right while failing to find a counterargument. Averia on the other hand looked as if I told her Santa Claus wasn¡¯t real. Seriously the age of swords died when automatic weapons became a thing.


    I¡¯d place my bets on an old style gatling gun with an ammo belt over a field of knights.


    Now that I didn¡¯t feel like throwing up everytime I got up I decided to change the subject ¡°So instead of debating about possible theological, ideological, or just how insane humanity can be at times¡­ who wants to help me get a bag of Forgotten Mists from my room so that we can spy on the super secret council meeting in the other room?¡±


    ¡°Wear a mask.¡± Nadel spoke, rubbing her head ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Just wear one and get a good filter spell.¡±


    ¡°How effective is this¡­ mist?¡± Averia asked in idle curiosity.


    ¡°It allowed us to literally walk away from everyone not wearing a gasmask last night.¡± I glanced at Nadel ¡°How many times did we do it?¡±


    ¡°Far too many.¡± Nadel spoke with a shiver ¡°Seriously¡­ Those lunatics might have been using machine guns as bugle horns.¡±


    <hr>


    I had to admit that whatever they made these potions out of it was very effective. I wondered what the side effects might have been, but my body only ached in pain as I was no longer coughing up blood or feeling if I was about to throw up.


    Though Nadel kept a small selection on hand just to be safe. Averia on the other hand just stared in disbelief at the situation of us sitting in the corner of the room while the ¡®Council¡¯ tried to decide my fate.


    Tried being the keyword as they were mostly arguing and shouting at one another. The time they had spent before we got here was apparently listing grievances they had with one another. Now they had simply gotten into the part of trying to place who got the blame for last night¡¯s disaster.


    So far Mr Hawkings seemed to be one of the three people in charge only due to the fact he seemed to have some semblance of a plan¡­ and that was ¡®forget blame. Focus on damage control¡¯ as last night¡¯s actions had somehow gone without anyone taking pictures, recording what happened, or getting plastered all over the internet.


    It was saying something that I actually considered fairy tale magic as a possible answer when Averia told me about it¡­ but then again the Witch of the Hill had access to something that let her have some degree of being able to toy with reality.


    So magically having every digital device delete their data with all ¡®photos¡¯ get corrupted as the ¡®bodies¡¯ magically disappear probably helped if it wasn¡¯t so terrifying to think about.


    What didn¡¯t help as Mr Hawking kept repeating was the people who had saw ¡®Grandma getting eaten by a half naked abomination¡¯ or trying to hide the sheer damage caused by the ¡®Undead abomination that is making people pray it was a chemical leak messing with their mind instead of the reality¡¯ which was saying something.


    Maybe conspiracy theorists might go up¡­ or maybe you get paranoid people who realized that monsters were real and decided to grab guns and start shooting without thinking things through.


    Good news? They apparently fixed the perceived problems with the barrier keeping everyone who wanted to kill them (and me by extension) working¡­ though at the cost of needing an Heir of the Hill to have control of the hill.. The Witch¡¯s Hill to be more precise.


    It was working for now, but only until another heir took claim of the hill¡­ or let everyone else outside break in to cause a distraction. Everybody was operating under the assumption that Agatha Willow planned the entire attack and was leaving the ¡®outsiders¡¯ to serve as both a distraction and means to kill everyone who didn¡¯t welcome her back with open arms.


    That only left the issue on who got control of the hill.


    Averia shook her head ¡°They should just let me take control. Dad already gave me my piece of the Witch¡¯s Legacy.¡±


    ¡°Oh right¡­ because trusting an elf who had been banished for the city for Fifty or was it sixty years is a good idea?¡± Nadel spoke in obvious dismissal ¡°Don¡¯t forget that their reputation is bad enough to have our current problem camping outside the city trying to reenact the crusades.¡±


    ¡°My dad didn¡¯t make contracts as shoddy as those storybooks tales!¡± Averia spoke seemingly offended ¡°He just thinks I should help set up a law firm within the city¡­¡±


    I pinched my nose ¡°Because a law firm run by elves following Fae Bargaining Rules sounds like a good idea. Isn¡¯t there supposed to be a whole¡­ hidden masquerade thing going on or are people supposed to ignore the pointed ears?¡±


    As if to confirm how bad the entire idea was her ¡®father¡¯ stood up. This was where half of the complaining and political problems came from. Not because the elf was seemingly way out of date with how things were currently being run.


    No ironically the Gandolf impersonators would have loved that. Too bad for them the elf king seemed to go so far off expectations that I was checking to see if my possible head injury was messing with my hearing.


    ¡°The Masquerade is a stupid idea and it has clearly failed.¡± The elf spoke out loud ¡°Look at the outsiders. Despite my personal bias towards them¡­ they rule an entire city letting the supernatural and mundane operate freely without hiding who they are.¡±


    I swore he was motioning towards me instead of the door as he continued ¡°Look at the latest heir. He actually knows how to use a gun and fear guns far more than any of us who still play by the rules of the masquerade. The only group that seemed to have threatened him were people in gas masks and assault rifles than ancient pacts with forgotten beings and idiots playing with spellbooks handed down from Merlin himself.¡±


    He shook his head ¡°That ¡®dragon¡¯ that caused you all so much trouble was a mixture of necromancy, whatever foul magic they wove to animate it¡­ and mechanical engineering. By the Roots of Yggdrel the thing was remote controlled as they were recording the whole thing!¡±


    Nadel just rocked back and forth muttering about how ¡®she has to be dreaming¡¯ while Averia muttered about him being more annoyed at missing ¡®Lord of the Rings¡¯ in theaters. Still he did have a point about them being completely caught off guard by a paramilitary supernatural group kicking down their front doors.


    Of course on the opposing side was The Stitch Witch¡­ who¡¯s entire idea seemed to be the opposite. Mostly in the fact they had been operating too openly which allowed them to be caught too easily. That they hadn¡¯t simply delved deep enough into magical lore to protect themselves as they had grown too content with merely touching upon the surface of magical lore instead of delving deeper into it like their ancestors had.


    I clearly disagreed with some of her points, but when she started making points about how some of the local gangs operated on the unofficial (yet widely known) secret that magic was real as some of the gang members were or had worked with the ¡®magically gifted or rejected¡¯ children of the magical community.


    That it was because of this that Trica had apparently lured some of the gangs to cross the city border with the promise of easy money¡­ Before quickly grabbing, abducting, torture, threats, and showing they were a heck of a lot scarier than their current magical city council.


    That it was because of this ¡®open secret¡¯ that had allowed their enemies to figure out where to strike. That it was because they had grown lax in their security to allow ¡®ordinary thugs¡¯ to kick down their doors and slaughter so many of them.


    More than half of the people there seemed to nod in agreement as she opted for an alternative idea¡­ simply having me sign an agreement to give up my rights to ¡®The Witch¡¯s Legacy¡¯ along with any other heirs¡­ then forcing Averia to do the same.


    Mostly as an attempt to make it binding both by the spirit of the Pact and the letter to ensure the other heirs couldn¡¯t slip out of it or simply suffered sudden heart attacks if they tried.


    As for the question of how to keep the barrier up¡­ she had not so subtly hinted that she could keep the barrier up¡­ so long as she took up Agatha Willow¡¯s old spot.


    Averia was not a fan of that idea at all and as we had to keep her from drawing attention to the room of paranoid and magically armed people who¡¯d throw fireballs first and ask questions later.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of sitting here if we aren¡¯t allowed to say anything?¡± Averia spoke in a mild huff.


    ¡°So that we know what they are saying and be prepared for what happens next.¡± I informed her ¡°They don¡¯t need consensus if simply kidnapping you and forcing you to sign through some absurd loophole. Heck they could make a hidden clause that by simply buying food from the grocery store would somehow misticly bind you into signing the contract from how loose these ¡®Fae Pacts¡¯ seem to be.¡±


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t do that¡­¡± The half-elf retorted before pausing ¡°Maybe the kidnapping bit¡­ but they seriously can¡¯t be going along with¡­ her idea.¡±


    ¡°You think they have a choice?¡± Nadel spoke with a shake of her head ¡°Look at that contract she has and how many people keep glancing at her. Agatha Willow cost the city two thirds of the council. Five votes might not matter before, but they certainly count a lot more now.¡±


    ¡°There are fourteen people.¡± Averia muttered.


    ¡°Your father is a ¡®respected guest¡¯ but he doesn¡¯t get his vote to count until he sits on two more meetings.¡± the witch countered ¡°While her vote still counts which means she only needs two votes to win at worst.¡±


    Two people to convince after a night of horrors¡­ or two people to threaten on what would happen to them if they didn¡¯t have anyone to protect them from the most dangerous person within the room. Agatha Willow was dead and it was clear that people were more afraid of her than of the elf king.


    The only question was if that fear would make them flock to her for protection¡­ or cause them to not vote with her because they feared her more than they feared the people outside their city.


    ¡°We only have one sane choice.¡± The elf king spoke ¡°Simply make my daughter in charge of the Hill. She lived in this city and she is not going on some tyrannical rule like Agatha Willow has done. I raised her to be better, but can you trust that the other heirs would be as safe? That she would be safer as you had run to Agatha Willow of all people for protection from her.¡±


    That apparently made more people lean towards the elf as while they had only grown up on stories about him¡­ but they knew just how terrifying the eldritch witch could be as her fingers sank into the table clearly annoyed at her opponent.


    ¡°The better question is why we shouldn¡¯t use Kravos Lynch.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke up ¡°He knows nothing about the Witch¡¯s Legacy. He wants to leave and whatever Agatha Willow wanted from him¡­ it could be used for the benefit of the city.¡±


    Now I felt like stepping out of the mist and telling everyone that it was a bad idea. You do not pass around the One Ring and take turns putting it on and taking it off. You find small helpless people who couldn¡¯t do much damage and if need be toss them with the ring into the nearest volcano.


    ¡°No. We have bargained for his safe passage out of the city.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke with a growing instance ¡°Once he flees we can inform his pursuers where he has fled to. They can either try fighting us knowing there is no prize to be had or chase after their elusive quarry giving us time to ensure that the other heirs do not take control of this city again.¡±


    The elf king shook his head ¡°And let them take what they have been chasing after? I have no idea what this ¡®eye¡¯ is, but the sheer fact that they want it makes me want to keep it just to spite them!¡±


    That got a couple of nodding heads even from the Stitch Witch faction. It hurt seeing how many people died due to their actions as doing any amount of petty revenge would be satisfying¡­ The only problem was that they still had three leaks as one could be the new Agatha Willow who would gladly sell everyone out.


    Far better to let the innocent magician flee the city and not at all because I would benefit from this totally selfless action.


    ¡°All he has managed to do was flee from his pursuers.¡± Mr Hawkings replied ¡°Surely we can deal with a single fledgling wizard than an ancient elven fae lord or an equally ol¡­ I mean a very crafty witch of your experience.¡±


    It was at that moment I didn¡¯t think The Stitch Witch saw us¡­ I knew she saw us as she looked straight into my eyes. She was clearly getting ready to show everyone that I wasn¡¯t as nearly ¡®harmless¡¯ as everyone had been led to believe.


    Before I could sneak out of the door something gripped me from the back of my shirt and just yanked me across the room. People panicked as they couldn¡¯t remember what was suddenly being dragged across the table knocking everything over, but when she grabbed me I felt a rush of wind just simply wash over me as a dozen yelps and shouts of surprise filled the room.


    ¡°Yes one mere helpless magician who was sitting in the corner listening to the entire meeting without anyone¡¯s notice certainly isn¡¯t a threat to anyone when he hears them plotting his fate without his consent.¡± The witch spoke with dripping sarcasm


    It was just my luck that my mist didn¡¯t seem to even affect her as she continued ¡°Tell me magician. If everyone agreed to tie you up like a christmas turkey would you not take that handgun on your side and simply shoot the individual who suggested it and make everyone else forget they had even attended this meeting¡­¡±


    The daming words hung in the air as suddenly ¡®seemingly harmless¡¯ was being removed as everyone glanced around the room and even checked to see if anybody had been sitting in the empty seats in sudden fear of her suggestion.


    ¡°And you want to give this Magician control of the Witch¡¯s Hill and a piece of the Witch¡¯s Legacy¡­ when he could do this without it?¡± She spoke, holding me up higher ¡°The person very adept at escaping people who sent a small army trying to kill him and complaining that they didn¡¯t send enough people to do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke much to her and everyone else¡¯s disbelief.


    ¡°Why?¡± The elf king spoke in utter disbelief.


    The man stared at them before pulling out a cellphone ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t know who we are¡­ Alexandria Willow on the other hand.¡± He tapped his phone and revealed a picture of Alexandria¡­ in what looked like an older picture hanging Nicka¡¯li from a willow tree ¡°Seems to have a connection to his city and I¡¯d like to know what we are going to have to deal with.¡±


    The next picture was far less subtle as it showed an annoyed woman holding a piece of cardboard with the words ¡®I will be back¡¯ in a magic shop¡­ not a mundane one with fake magic tricks¡­ no¡­ one with an eldritch shopkeeper selling my brand of magic as the young witch had a gun on the counter.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t deal with a runner who flees then what should we expect from her?¡± Mr Hawkings spoke. ¡°I am simply asking him to maintain the barrier as the Legally appointed Council rules the city since he has agreed to Follow the Law as per our agreement for his continued survival.¡±


    Six votes for Stitch Witch. Seven votes for Mr Hawkings and appealing to their fears.


    The dark skinned wizard simply smiled as he shook my hand ¡°I guess that makes this the Magician¡¯s Hill for now¡­ also don¡¯t break any laws or I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Short, simple, and a grip that promised that he would certainly try to kill me if I decided to become the next Agatha Willow¡­ on whatever she did to earn the ire of everyone here.


    I simply nodded, not paying too much attention to it as I was more focused on the other two parties who gave their own half hearted excuses for future meetings as they didn¡¯t speak to me, but more towards one another.


    ¡°I shall come by later to discuss the favor you owe me and of any¡­¡± She glared at Mr Hawkings ¡°Revisions that may be required due to certain actions taken today by well meaning fools..¡±


    She walked out of the room as her blackmailed/followers quickly followed suit, unsure where they stood, but trusted that she would protect them from the threat lurking outside their city borders.


    The Elf king looked at me with unease ¡°My daughter has said many things about you¡­¡± there was a pause ¡°I hope for the swift recovery of your memories as the two of you good friends.¡±


    ¡°We already made a Pact to not try and murder one another.¡± I quickly replied ¡°Can¡¯t ask for more considering the circumstances.¡±


    The handshake was brisk, but I tried not to sweat as I had no idea what my deal with the Stitch Witch was, but she seemed keen on keeping me alive if only to further her own goals. While she wasn¡¯t happy with Mr Hawkings she found me as a better ¡®owner¡¯ of the hill than the elf king¡¯s daughter.


    Said person on the other hand was weighing the decision between trying to rekindle a relationship that his daughter never had with me¡­ or just killing me to leave his daughter as the other possible alternative.


    The flaw being that Agatha Willow owned a large portion of the votes as apparently her vote still counts. Thirteen votes with six of them owned by The Stitch Witch¡­ those were not good odds.


    He walked out of the room leaving Mr Hawkings to stay if only to ensure that I didn¡¯t become ¡®misguided¡¯ in trying to support one of the other two factions. He carefully pulled out a couple of papers as I didn¡¯t need to read them to realize what they were.


    They were deeds to the house, land, and a very lengthy contract to give me one ¡®Witch of the Hill Legacy¡¯ in exchange for accepting that the Council was in charge of the town along with some legal wording that would have him shoot me if I dared ask a lawyer to look over it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just let me go after I sign this?¡± I asked, trying to give it a shot ¡°I don¡¯t have a job here, a history, or any idea what any of this stuff is supposed to be. How can I even pay for the taxes on this property?¡±


    The man uncomfortably cleared his throat ¡°If it was that easy I¡¯d agree to it, but you have to live here until we find an alternative¡­ preferably one that isn¡¯t compromised, seeking revenge, or trying to kill us all.¡±


    There was a half mocking snort as even he didn¡¯t believe any of the last three (or two) heirs would even fit those qualifications. Especially considering that he used one of them to frighten everyone else into voting for his plan.


    He smiled ¡°If you are in need of money I am sure we can come up with¡­¡±


    ¡°If you say payment plans then I will sell this house to the people outside the city.¡± I threatened him ¡°You are dangerous, but I have run from things far more deadly than last night.¡±


    His smile turned into a frown for just a moment before he shook his head ¡°I was going to say alternative contracts since I can¡¯t exactly write a check for dealing with¡­ whatever those things were last night.¡±


    The Council leader turned his back on me as he continued his tirade ¡°We lived under a very nasty woman for far too long. We have two other non-human monsters who want to take the crown. So please bear with me if I think humans should be incontrol of our fates if only to ensure my children grow up with a better life than my own.¡±


    He was playing the guilt game and I even believed that he meant the words. The only problem was that his speech promised nothing about me living in this wonderful future he envisioned.


    ¡°Would you rather we make a Pact?¡± I held out my hand ¡°You don¡¯t kill me and try to give me reasonable business deals and in return we go with what you said?¡±


    He looked at me for a few seconds ¡°I will have to check to see if anyone else has lingering thoughts on who they think you are¡­ as you never came to this town until this week yet Averia Willow seems to think you are childhood friends.¡±


    I lowered my hand ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair¡­¡±


    It really wasn¡¯t as he kept his hands firmly away from mine. Everyone knew what happened when you tried breaking a Pact with me now¡­ and that if I tried breaking the pact I would die¡­ or they would if they tried.


    You know it says something about you when your odds when trusting the local eldritch boogeyman (or woman) gave you better odds at surviving than the local government.


    ¡°Until then¡­ try to keep yourself alive.¡± He spoke trying to sound polite ¡°Until we can figure out how to make this work for us all.¡±


    He left me with a house with bills, no job, and as an added bonus¡­ he didn¡¯t break the chains keeping me trapped here as apparently being a prisoner was more beneficial than letting me leave so that the army outside could chase after me.


    ¡°Maybe I should have tried filling the room with mist and shooting him?¡± I muttered to myself

 CH9

    The day didn¡¯t get any better after they left as somehow they managed to tighten the chains around my wrist making me physically unable to leave this stupid house. So unable to leave the house as once again I was left wondering if somebody was going to try to kill me before the day ended¡­


    I looked to see what I could do until night fell as the rest of the city would decide if they wanted me to stay or just tried murdering me again. So naturally I went with my paranoia and tried fortifying the house until then.


    And just to be clear when I mean fortify I do not mean locking the doors, closing the curtains, and hiding in the basement. No, I went zombie apocalypse bunker up mode where windows were boarded up, objects shoved in front of doors to keep them wedged shut.


    When I ran out of ordinary objects to fortify the place I only then started using up my more exotic supplies to make sure that if anything did break through then the entity in question would regret it if only for a brief moment.


    Some would call me paranoid, for going this far¡­ though most people hadn¡¯t spent two nights here only to wake up with missing gaps of memories and more people trying to kill you than last night.


    In fact I would find it a rather nice novelty to find myself wrong and spend a nice relaxing night without anyone trying to kill me and for my list of problems to actually shrink instead of having something new stabled onto the bottom each morning!


    Salt and Ash I had actually gave the freaking imp a shotgun and refuge in the house.


    The very same imp everyone seemed to have a grudge against who only managed to escape because the idiots let his last wish be to have one last smoke¡­ and the cigar in question was laced with a lot of Forgotten Mist.


    Said idiots promptly forget about the imp and left thinking that someone else had did the dead or something along those lines leaving me with Futurm and not a whole lot of allies.


    He was busy trying to load up every gun we had managed to find while taking cover in the small overturned fortress he had made for himself. When a knock on the door echoed throughout the house used one of the overturned tables to brace the shotgun and himself as he pointed it at the door.


    I on the other hand held my breath while pointing the flamethrower ¡®wand¡¯ at the door as I needed to save my more esotic ammunition. It wasn¡¯t as if the residents of this cursed city were going to let me go out and legally purchase more ammunition for myself.


    ¡°So¡­ Do you think they are here for you or me?¡± I asked the imp as he scowled at me ¡°To be fair it could be you.¡±


    ¡°Doubt it.¡± The imp muttered as he eyed the door ¡°Fae Folk tend to be too high on their pride to think that a lowly imp could outsmart them.¡± He pulled out one of his chew sticks ¡°Worse than priests. At least when they make an honest mistake they go the full distance.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they might send a priest here just to be safe?¡± I asked out of mild curiosity


    ¡°No. Because that would be the smart thing to do if they thought I was a bloody demon.¡± Futurm snarled ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work of course, but even Grum would call upon Redrick if he thought there was a bloody demon or a need for an exorcism.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one who joined the church.¡± I asked trying to remember which was one.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± The imp muttered in annoyance ¡°Black sheep of the family and still more brains than these folk here.¡±


    No wonder the name sounded familiar. That was one of the few imps that I knew and also happened to like because while he was a tricky little guy¡­ he wasn¡¯t a ¡®bad guy¡¯ so to speak.


    Futurm was just an ally of mutual convenience/survival.


    ¡°I know you''re in there Kravos.¡± A voice called out.


    It took me a few moments to realize who¡¯s voice it was as it belonged to the half-elf girl from this morning¡­ the half-elf girl who was a normal knife wielding woman until screwed up nonsense struck her.


    ¡®They claimed whatever happened to her is not able to be done again.¡¯ I reminded myself ¡®But they never bothered explaining why.¡¯


    If something could be done once, then you could repeat it so long as you had the necessary resources. Her ¡®father¡¯ had the resources and a reason to get rid of or ¡®modify¡¯ me as he wanted a ¡®heir¡¯ in control of the hill¡­ and I was in his way.


    ¡°Kravos?¡± The woman asked out loud ¡°I just want to ask you a few questions. I promise I am not trying to kill you.¡±


    The annoying feeling against the back of my mind struggled to overpower the more paranoid¡­ no rational parts of my mind that viewed her as a threat. This is why messing with the mind was illegal. It was why it was the second law because once people started messing with minds you couldn¡¯t trust anyone from the sheer paranoia it generated.


    That and how many idiots try to use it to cheat contracts. The Eldritch being of Kornea really took offense. Theft of free will is a major crime after all.


    ¡®So if they try it they will not have a minor group of people after me, but the next Crusade funded by The Spire itself.¡¯ I told myself ¡®Mutual Assured Destruction. Just jolly old MAD trust.¡¯


    Having worked up the courage I walked over to the door before wondering if it was perhaps a far more simple threat. As it wasn¡¯t that hard to impersonate voices when magic fell into the mix.


    Slipping on the red glove stained in black ink as the surge of eldritch green light flared between my fingers. If it was an imposter they would realize just how big of a mistake they made if they thought they could catch him by surprise a third freaking time.


    To my surprise I saw it actually was the half-elf girl who was standing outside the door with a couple of bags and one of those green jeeps¡­ those stupid vechiles that lacked a roof and proper doors just so that the passengers could feel the wind (rain and snow) when they drove around.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked as for all I knew this town had shapeshifters or something.


    The person in question kept glancing at the doorknob ¡°Averia. You know¡­ the half-elf wondering why you rigged the front door to explode.¡±


    The eldritch green light died as my brain still tried to figure out if she was telling the truth or lying. The exploding door bit made me wonder if she could sense what I was doing or how she had been able to see the trap laced into the back of the door and wall?


    Surely I didn¡¯t leave any hints of the latter where she could spot it outside right?


    ¡°Do you have a key to the house?¡± I asked, trying to debate on what to do next.


    The woman nodded, pulling out her key and glancing at the boarded up windows ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡®If you keep trying to go over the work trying to remove any mistakes then you will never end up publishing it.¡¯ Cassy¡¯s voice gently chidded me in the back of my mind ¡®Just take a chance and see what happens instead of debating about it until you''re sick.¡¯


    Against my better judgement I pulled the end table away before muttering ¡°Futurm¡­ lets change the door locks tomorrow if possible.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be that paranoid just because I have keys to this place!¡± She practically shouted as her hearing was a lot more effective than I thought ¡°I can unlock the door right?¡±


    That question made me quickly run over to the imp as we both took cover behind the overturned table. Pride be damned! I¡¯d rather hide like a bloody coward and be wrong instead of a smoking idiot thinking they could never be wrong!


    Shouting behind my cover I announced ¡°The door is locked. If your key works you¡¯ll be fine. If not¡­ It will blow up.¡±


    There was a pause as a part of me believed that someone was trying to kill me again. That it wasn¡¯t a person out there, but some imposter trying to pretend to be¡­


    The door unlocked as the half-elf stared at us as the house had changed once again¡­ except this time it was set for a siege instead of magically rearranging itself. Both me and the imp peeked up from behind our cover waiting for the moment when something horrible happened to the both of us.


    The Half-elf frowned, taking one look at the imp ¡°How are you still alive!¡±


    The Futurm grinned ¡°Last wishes dame. Mine was to live and they obliged.¡±


    ¡°Well now I know where the paranoia came from.¡± Averia spoke glaringly at the imp ¡°But did you seriously have to board everything up Kravos. I am sure we could just toss that thing in the basement if you are trying to hide it.¡±


    Another reminder that there seemed to be bad blood between imps and the city. For Futurm it was obvious dislike since this city was ¡®Fae related nonsense¡¯ instead of something a little bit more honest that Kornea.


    When things were trying to kill you they were at least upfront about it.


    Walking over to the open doorway ¡°Considering my track record for this place. Yes!¡±


    With a very clear movement of my arms I had tried to grab one of the bags resting outside the door only for my hand to essentially ram up against an invisible doorway. To show my point even further I leaned up against the empty doorway to further drive the point home.


    I stepped out of the doorway and threw up my hands in frustration ¡°I have yet to spend a night without someone or something trying to kill me! Only this time the freaking chain around my wrists won¡¯t even let me leave the house.¡±


    The half-elf was left trying to gather up her bags by herself. Once the last bag was tossed inside did I close the door, lock it, and then shove a nearby end table in front of it just to be safe.


    ¡°Okay¡­ where¡¯s the ward and how¡¯d you make it so that the entire door explodes?¡± She glanced around the room ¡°Or make it so that my key prevents it?¡±


    ¡°Circuit breakers. Stick something to it to break the connection and the door won¡¯t blow up.¡± I informed her ¡°Try and force the door open and it sets off the system creating a crude explosion.¡±


    ¡°Still say we should have gone with the burn method.¡± The Futurm grunted


    ¡°Lack of resources.¡± I argued back ¡°I needed materials to make a few extra rounds. Besides, your trick only works on the first person trying to break down the door. Everyone else just learns to step out of the way Futurm.¡±


    ¡°Shock and awe.¡± The imp argued back ¡°You keep the door and the folks outside freak out while you fill¡¯em full of lead.¡±


    ¡°And you are seriously complaining about not making it deadlier¡­¡± The half-elf shook her head ¡°What happened to you Kravos?¡±


    What happened to me? Seriously what hasn¡¯t happened to me since I got stuck here! I¡¯ve been threatened, people tried to erase my existence¡­ Seriously! At what point am I allowed to complain about people openly plotting to kill me!


    Pinching the bridge of my nose I tried to be as blunt as possible ¡°Once is chance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is a pattern.¡± Raising up my wrists to remind her ¡°I have less room to flee this time and I¡¯d rather not wake up in the morning with people asking who I am for a third time.¡±


    There was a small pause as Averia stared at me unsure of what to say. Her bags were full of random objects¡­ items¡­ things that were apparently supposed to help ¡®recover my memory¡¯ only for her to see a tired, paranoid person, who fate had worn down.


    In some ways that look bothered me more than whatever might be trying to kill me tonight¡­ stupid curses trying to inject guilt and unwanted memories.


    Walking into the kitchen I pulled out a frying pan ¡°So¡­ not to sound rude, but are you a vegan or do burgers work?¡±


    She blinked, staring at me ¡°Meat is good. Why do you ask?¡±


    I pulled out one of the frozen patties from the freezer before adjusting the handle of the frying pan ¡°Because I might as well try making dinner and simply try getting to know you. Even if¡­ and this is a big if mind you¡­ even if I recover these memories I am supposed to have. My experiences with Kornea have changed me alright?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t fun trying to humor the possibility that I had ¡®lost my memories¡¯ that never existed, but it seemed to make one of the very few people not trying to kill me within this stupid city at ease. Heck it might have even cheered her up a little


    With a small jolt I cursed, nearly dropping the frying pan as the flame burst forth from it before it settled. The half-elf stared at me in disbelief as I set down the frying pan with what looked like a floating fireball before tossing the patties into the floating flame. Not a single one hit the floor as they were safely being cooked inside the fire.


    ¡°How?¡± She pointed at the frying pan ¡°How are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°Magic.¡± I spoke much to her annoyance. ¡°Ink set aside to create a flame, leave enough air pressure to keep it afloat, and a bit of work to make sure that anything tossed in the area doesn¡¯t fall out¡­ so long as it isn¡¯t too heavy.¡±


    Memories of Cassy trying to teach me how to make it all work. The frustration of trying to make the right size for the circles and attempting to stabilize the formula. Seriously it felt like the crazed lovechild of an art and science where a simple pen stroke could make the difference between how much heat a flame would generate.


    As much as I hated trying to make the adjustments to fix my own problems I would by lying if these stupid frying pans didn¡¯t have a special place in my heart.


    ¡°Magic is the unknown until it is known. You break it down until the magical becomes mundane¡­¡± I tossed the meat into the flames and watched them float as they slowly spun in the flames, but never leaving the fire itself ¡°But just because it became mundane, doesn¡¯t make it any less magical.¡±


    ¡°The Kravos I knew would have wanted more.¡± She muttered ¡°So this minor magic trick is enough for you?¡±


    The imp laughed as I shook my head ¡°Minor? Please¡­ this entire trick is what¡¯s being used to rig the door to explode. One heck of an explosion tearing everything apart only to leave a blazing wall of fire that won¡¯t disappear!¡±


    The imp lost a few points for giving away the secret of what would happen and somehow made me seem like an insane pyromaniac. Seriously, you do not brag about the chaos you can create. It gives people second thoughts about your sanity and if you should still be left alive.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    To my surprise she actually ended up chuckling and spoke with a smile ¡°And that¡¯s the lunatic I knew¡­ So what is your relationship to the imp?¡±


    She spoke the last word like a swear only for the imp in question who gave her the one finger salute with both fingers. This apparently caught her by surprise as he even stuck his tongue out for good measure.


    ¡°A mistake in my past.¡± I replied as she deserved an honest answer


    ¡°Please you had a lot more tricks in your sleeves and a heck of a lot more respect, boss.¡± Futurm countered ¡°If you want to go back to the old business deal¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll shoot you.¡± Averia spoke, pulling out a sawed off shotgun from one of her bags ¡°These things work on you right?¡±


    The imp took one look at it as I interjected ¡°You know if you deny it she¡¯ll try to shoot you right.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question, but a statement as it looked as if the half-elf was seriously considering pulling the trigger just to see if it would work or not. She had no idea what the ¡®business deal¡¯ was, but it was enough to have her threaten physical violence without a second thought.


    Futurm eyed the shotgun and the woman as he muttered ¡°Wooden bracing¡­ I¡¯m guessing iron bullets?¡±


    The half-elf grinned showing her teeth ¡°Dad wanted to be safe. Don¡¯t worry¡­ I have gloves if I need to reload.¡±


    ¡°I give.¡± He spoke holding his hands up ¡°I¡¯m a guest, but I give.¡±


    That made her frown as the imp grinned at whatever that meant. Still he was smart enough not to push it as he quickly walked around to another spot to hide. The two of them glared at one another as Futurm pulled out a small bowl of batteries and popped one into his mouth.


    That actually caught her off guard as we could hear the small pops of electricity from inside his mouth¡­ as well¡­ imps could be weird like that sometimes as he continued sucking on the batteries as if they were lemon drops or something.


    Once he was far enough away from her she started searching for something in her bags ¡°I thought we could try and reconnect¡­¡±


    Groaning out loud it was getting old real fast at how many people seemed to assume who I was supposed to be ¡°So who am I supposed to be?¡± I asked the half-elf ¡°Am I supposed to be brave, cowardly, smart, dumb? A farmer, a clerk, the new king of Canada and it¡¯s glorious domain over the Grand Lemming Republic?¡±


    She sort of snorted ¡°Still a wise cracker?¡±


    ¡°No, that''s recent. Just something I picked up after far too many risks to my life that I ended up taking the web-sling method of dealing with stress.¡± I half-joked ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at how many eldritch threats get taken by surprise when you blow a raspberry at them despite how absurdly dangerous they can be.¡±


    She took a deep breath and then to my utter disbelief she exhaled¡­ not exhaled as in letting air out of her lungs. More like she breathed out and magic just sort of¡­ happened.


    No ink, no tools, no sleight of hand to hide her trick. Just a simple single breath as her hand pressed down upon the floorboards before it just sort of¡­ sprung to life. Small branches grew out of the wood with budding leaves at first completely at odds with the fact it was cut floorboard which practically made it dead wood.


    Still it didn¡¯t stop there as the growing branches and wood slowly sprang out of the wood and began to twist together looking less like carved wood, but one of those unique ¡®grown chairs¡¯ you read about in fantasy stories with elves. A chair made out of grown living wood made specifically to fit her.


    Then with an all too familiar smirk¡­ My hand shot to my head trying to just squeeze the unwanted memory out of my brain if possible as the stranger spoke ¡°And I made a seat¡­ and judging from your look you have no idea how I did it.¡±


    That annoyed me more than I would have liked to admit. Even with my unique experiences with Kornea there was a certain logic you couldn¡¯t escape from. Physics still applied so if you shot forward with magic expect physics to hit you just as hard when you crashed into a wall.


    You couldn¡¯t just ¡®make things bigger or smaller¡¯. It was far easier to damage something than to repair it. You couldn¡¯t just make something out of nothing and my brain was trying to figure out how she made dead wood spring back to life!


    Where did the nutrients come from for the plants to grow? How was she able to guide how it grew? Where did the extra mass come from? What allowed the impossibility to become merely improbable instead of impossible.


    Yet that dam smirk grin somehow sparked a competitive streak with me as I did something stupid¡­ I tried to one up her before my brain realized that I shouldn''t be wasting any resources. Better just to toss her something shiny and admit defeat.


    ¡°Do you like diamonds?¡± I asked grabbing one of the lumps of coal nearby


    She chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t you mean lead to gold?¡±


    I slipped on one of my trusty pair of gloves and simply pressed down on the lump of coal as lead to gold was fancy and all¡­ but diamonds were easier, cheaper, and looked a lot more impressive.


    Maybe not as impressive as her magic trick was to me, but considering how she nearly fell out of the chair and stared at the large diamond with open greed and envy was enough to prove that this ¡®minor trick¡¯ was far more impressive to her than it was to me.


    She practically licked her lips as I could imagine dollar signs appearing in her eyes as she said ¡°Kravos! When did you learn to do that!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a minor trick.¡± I muttered examining the diamond in mild disappointment ¡°It isn¡¯t even properly cut or shined¡­ I doubt you could sell it for much¡­¡±


    While I spoke slowly, moving the diamond back and forth between my hands. It wasn¡¯t that great¡­ her eyes stayed firmly locked on it. Futurm just chuckled in the background. Gemstones, gold and silver weren¡¯t worth too much in Kornea.


    Not when people found enough tricks to make them as common as pennies and if you tried to sell them out of Kornea? Try finding someplace that accepts raw gemstones without asking too many questions¡­ or willing to make a fair offer.


    Best bet you¡¯d run out of resources before you made back the investment out of worthless rocks. At worst you attracted the wrong type of attention.


    I tossed the stone near her as she instantly shot out her hand catching it out of the air and examined it in rapid interest. How does making a small diamond from a lump of coal outweigh making life from nothing or breaking a few laws of physics or reality to make a chair.


    ¡°You seriously can¡¯t find that impressive.¡± I finally spoke as she stared at me in shock ¡°It¡¯s just a rock.¡±


    ¡°It is a diamond.¡± She practically hissed ¡°A real one. Not a fake one or¡­¡±


    ¡°You made a chair out of nothing.¡± The words still felt wrong to admit outloud ¡°Surely you can make a few minor jewels¡­¡±


    ¡°No I can¡¯t¡­¡± She spoke slightly dejected ¡°Just¡­ how? I thought you worked through contracts¡­ Did you seriously make enough contracts to¡­¡±


    ¡° Contracts?¡± I spoke, trying not to laugh ¡°You mean the basic trick everyone in Kornea uses? Everybody uses Pacts. It''s the first ¡®trick¡¯ people learn! It''s about as common as learning how to drive a car! Probably more common considering the traffic.¡±


    There was an awkward pause as Averia looked caught between laughing and looking far more uneasy than when she found out that I had no idea who she was. Her hand gripped the crude diamond even harder as she glanced at it trying to see if it was fake¡­ and the fact it was real only seemed to frighten her even more.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a glamour or an illusion¡­ it''s a real diamond.¡± She spoke in mild horror before she nervously chuckled ¡°I guess this is where we¡¯d go out and try one-up another. Keep showing off until whatever ¡®threat¡¯ tries attacking you tonight.¡±


    A soft chuckle as she seemed to be calming down, yet now she was looking at me as if I was a stranger instead of some person she thought she had known before. There was a look of guilt and unease in her eyes as she looked away from me making me feel¡­


    No it was that stupid magical nonsense that tried shoving fake memories into my head that was making me feel bad. It was a good thing that she realized that I wasn¡¯t whoever she thought I was.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Averia spoke, trying to fill the void of silence between us ¡°do you want to watch a movie, trade notes, or play a boardgame.¡±


    She jerked her thumb at the bags ¡°Dad doesn¡¯t get a lot of modern innovations and the council isn¡¯t a fan that he is trying to update the rest of his group to modern times¡­ so I got a lot of board games.¡±


    Once again there was that old familiar yet slightly nervous chuckle¡­ that hint of embarrassment that she didn¡¯t like to admit, but that attempt to bring back the past of what she thought she knew. What was even worse was how creepy it was.


    That I actually started to feel at ease with her. That all of this was starting to feel natural instead of talking to a random stranger I had never met before until today¡­ or yesterday¡­ I hated how complicated this stupid city made it.


    It was too much for me as cutting to the end of this trainwreck would be better than waiting for it to happen ¡°If I tell you what the last time I remembered you doing¡­ would you tell me what you remembered?¡±


    She stared at me as there was a hint of fear and guilt in her eyes as she seemed to be getting the same idea I was having. She might have hesitated if not for Futurm who snorted as he rolled his eyes causing her anger to override her fear.


    ¡°You first.¡± The half-elf spoke more in defiance to the imp than to me ¡°Tell me why you sort of freaked out when you saw me.¡±


    That made things a little bit more awkward as sometimes you just had to bite the bullet ¡°We woke up. Agatha Willow was dead. I wanted to check to make sure she was dead and¡­ you borrowed the knife and stabbed her in the face.¡±


    She blinked.


    ¡°Repeatedly.¡± I finally replied


    The seconds slowly passed away before she held up a finger ¡°So¡­ I was the one who finally killed her? I stabbed the wicked witch in the heart!¡±


    There was no hint of fear or sorrow in her voice, but a sort of pride and relief as if she had been expecting something far worse. Her wide happy smile threw me at odds with what I actually had been expecting.


    ¡°More like she was dead and everyone else was struggling to figure out what to do next¡­ Alexandria threw a chair out the window so that we could escape through it since the rest of the house was locked.¡± I informed her ¡°But yes¡­ the sudden stabbing caught me off guard.¡±


    She sighed falling back into her chair ¡°That sounds about right for me, but I really wish you had a picture or video of always calm and collected Alexandria just throwing a chair at a window instead of trying to painstakingly figure out how to get out of a locked room.¡±


    The woman chuckled just thinking about the scene as she really didn¡¯t get that it wasn¡¯t stabbing, but more along the lines of mutilating the face and the body. Still if she thought it was more along something reasonable instead of a psychotic breakdown then who was I to argue?


    She stared at me now as she scratched the arms of her chair trying to work up the courage to tell me when we had ¡®last met each other¡¯ as she tried not to meet my eyes. For her it was stressful, but I had no idea or connection to who ¡®Kravos¡¯ was even if I seemed to be stuck with the name.


    And a lousy name that just screams ¡®Shoot me dead¡¯ to anyone who hears it.


    ¡°We sort of¡­ got off on the wrong foot.¡± She idly replied ¡°You wanted magic and you weren¡¯t born with it. You just couldn¡¯t accept it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like me.¡± I had to admit ¡°Didn¡¯t let it stop me.¡±


    Bloodlines were stupid. It was that stupid line of logic that gave birth to so many types of stupid idiots. Seriously it is one of the major reasons why the age of kings and queens died when the industrial age rolled in.


    ¡°Seriously, with the proper resources anything is possible.¡± I spoke with a bit more force than I should ¡°Salt and Ash. I am freaking living proof of it and proud of it too!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even notice that she was watching my expression and even seemed to laugh as she had been expecting me to act like how I had acted¡­ that I was acting more like the person she knew instead of who I really was.


    Averia tried to pretend she hadn¡¯t been watching me as she continued ¡°I¡­ well my father offered¡­ There was a bit of doubt on succession lines and... I¡­ I said some stupid stuff. Like really stupid stuff.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say exactly what it was, yet it was hard not to see the signs of guilt as she kept trying to avoid the subject. In fact she probably would have tried to change the subject if whenever she stopped looking at me the half-elf didn¡¯t lock eyes with Futurm who simply stared back at her.


    Unease of whatever mistakes in the past she had made didn¡¯t win against watching the smug imp slowly pop another battery into his mouth as if it was popcorn as he was practically daring her to stop and prove him right.


    She gritted her teeth glaring at the imp before she gulped forcing herself to continue ¡°It was¡­ Stupid stuff. Things that I¡­ That I regretted saying and now it feels like I¡¯ll never get to apologize for¡­ for what I said.¡±


    Now her eyes locked with my own eyes as the half-elf stared at me as pain filled her eyes. Even if I was sitting in front of her, a part of her knew that I would never really ¡®understand¡¯ what she had said¡­ and that any attempt to apologize to me would be like telling a log or maybe a stranger.


    I might get a small idea¡­ but I wouldn¡¯t know or really understand why she apologized.


    ¡°Long story short it was a stupid contract. One sided¡­¡± She groaned ¡°You complained about it. I told you that you¡¯d never get a better one.¡± Her voice slowly grew a little bit louder, more emotional ¡°You said you wanted to be equals instead of the ¡®pet¡¯ taken out of pity and I¡­ I said some stupid stuff.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t ¡®me¡¯ so to speak, but I sat down and listened to her. She needed to get this off her chest and even an idiot could tell that she needed to vent¡­ especially with how much it hurt for her to get this off her chest.


    She leaned back in the chair and practically shouted ¡°And I screwed up. Big time!¡±


    It was spoken out in rage and sorrow. That she hated what she had done and regretted it to this day as her eyes started to water as she tried rubbing it away before I could catch it.


    She had regained control of her voice as she continued ¡°Agatha was really putting the pressure on because the magical community was trying to bind us with Pacts before Agatha Willow finally kicked the bucket.¡±


    The half-elf snorted ¡°Trying to limit what we could do. Dad kept me away from being bound up... while you¡­ just sort of got¡­ ignored.¡±


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t right.¡¯ She muttered underneath her breath as she looked at the diamond ¡°And now? Now your back¡­ with magic¡­ and now you can make Pacts that really screw over other people¡­ and no bindings! I mean seriously! It¡¯s everything you ever wanted and all at the cost of ever knowing me...¡±


    That hit of sorrow I had remembered from a TV show¡­ one of those parallel reality ones where you had one of the main characters saying how they did something which allowed happy ¡®cannon¡¯ to happen only for the alternate reality double to take offense.


    Because it sounded as if they were the ones responsible for creating their doomed future because they hadn¡¯t done what their ¡®happy timeline¡¯ counterpart had done.


    That it sounded like my life would have been better if I never knew her.


    And it hurt her.


    Her eyes continued to tear up as there was a hint of bitterness in her voice ¡°Sounds like a bad Fae Pact¡­ or Karma.¡± She sighed looking at me again, ¡°So¡­ did you get married in Kornea? A Ms. Lynch?¡±


    ¡°Never dated.¡± I found myself replying before my brain realized what was going on ¡°It just never worked out.¡±


    She blinked ¡°Virgin?¡±


    Now I frowned ¡°Seriously what does that have to do with anything? I just never really found anyone that just¡­ clicked alright. I was a little bit more concerned about staying alive than trying to make out with somebody who didn¡¯t care or just wanted my stuff¡­¡±


    She chuckled ¡°Sorry. I mean I don¡¯t mean to laugh, but¡­¡± She held her side ¡°Seriously? I mean I just sort of assumed¡­ Not even a first kiss?¡±


    ¡°Sort of assumed?¡± I spoke in utter confusion ¡°I never really dated anyone! I mean why does that even ma¡­¡±


    The words never finished as the half-elf just kissed me. My brain froze as I tried to figure out why as she just sort of smirked, sauntering back to her chair before sitting down all too smug.


    Before I could ask she replied ¡°I already screwed up once and now that I survived that trial¡­ I kept telling myself I would be more honest since I wouldn¡¯t have to hide anything about me anymore. So¡­ why not?¡±


    The question was left hanging out in the open as it sounded obvious to her. She liked me. She screwed up. And now she had a second chance to make things better now that she was older and far less stupid.


    Only one problem with that idea.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t know me.¡± I simply stated


    She shrugged ¡°Maybe not ¡®you¡¯ as well as I should¡­ but I have a good idea about who you are. Even if some of the pieces are missing¡­ you are still you even if you¡¯ve changed.¡±


    I didn¡¯t change because I was still me! It was everyone else who was suffering from fake memories thinking that they knew me!


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to get her to explain boss.¡± Futurm spoke from the peanut gallery ¡°Dames are just as enigmatic, confusing, and strange as even the most eldritch beings within the Spire. Just accept that she¡¯s right and you''re wrong and it¡¯ll be easier for everyone.¡±


    ¡°First smart thing you¡¯ve said all day.¡± Averia spoke reluctantly only because the imp was the one who said it ¡°So how about we trade stories and I try to convince you that we shouldn¡¯t try killing one another?¡±


    <hr>


    The next few hours were¡­ nice.


    They were wasted hours as nothing productive had been done, but sometimes you just needed to relax and do something stupid. Not life threatening stupid¡­ just the normal amount of ¡®stupid¡¯ that you could laugh at.


    The movies that Averia had brought ranged from the old black and white movies to a few more of the modern ones. They were more or less played as background noise while I tried to get to know the other ¡®Heir of the Hill¡¯ and try to figure out where we stood.


    It sort of devolved into checking out the other rooms and Averia going out of her way to point which rooms belonged to who. The woman had no problem showing me her room or trying to go through with embarrassing stories about the other girls.


    The only ¡®useful¡¯ thing that we had done was trying to exchange notes about magic¡­ which more or less fell apart as this woman had a better grasp on magic than the previous ones did. The only problem was that neither of us really understood how the other one worked.


    My attempts to understand her brand of magic were rather confusing as she talked about spirits, breath¡­ some stuff that sounded like ¡®new age hippy¡¯ stuff with healing crystals and foot rubs to cure cancer.


    It sounded stupid, but for some absurd reason (against all logic) it worked for her as it passed the scientific method¡­ in the fact that it could be studied and repeated on command even if you didn¡¯t understand how it freaking worked.


    My new messy notebook just listed it off as ¡®Eldritch Nonsense¡¯ since she knew how to make it work even if she had no idea ¡®how it actually worked¡¯... which wasn¡¯t that uncommon with some of the more inhuman citizens of Kornea.


    My own brand with inks ended up confusing her as she didn¡¯t understand how it worked despite my attempts to explain it, but I found it mildly annoying that after spending half an hour showing books that explained that it was a science¡­


    Before she promptly gave up trying to understand it, treating it like how I treated her process of casting magic. She adamantly refused to try looking at the other magical theories before she eventually tried to help me out with my problems.


    ¡°Look, a lot of people are a bit worried about you since what you did felt like¡­ Contract magic.¡± She finally replied as she was snooping through my RPG collection of books ¡°Most magic is costs and limits. Or well domains.¡±


    ¡°Domains?¡± I spoke trying to piece it together ¡°How does that even fall in line with contracts or make some sort of¡­ magical lawyers?¡±


    The fact that she didn¡¯t laugh as she stared at one of the source material books caused her to sigh ¡°Magical Lawyers isn¡¯t too far off actually. At the most basic level they gain power by making contracts so even a lot of minor contracts that seem reasonable adds to their power¡­ its¡­ its sort of like regular lawyers in a sense.¡±


    A part of me wanted to object, but in some twisted way this sounded more like an eldritch being working under guidelines than actually understanding the reason for those guidelines.


    ¡°Lawyers who don¡¯t have a lot of cases, even minor ones. They don¡¯t have a lot of power¡­ or leverage.¡± She tried to explain ¡°The more cases they have or won the more¡­ weight they hold. There is a difference between a lawyer who defends CEOs than one who is hired to deal with someone trying to sue their neighbor for damaging their car.¡±


    I simply nodded as she did kind of have a point. There wasn¡¯t anything magical about it¡­ but since Fae were apparently real things might be a little bit more complicated than I had been previously lead to believe.


    Placing her hands together she continued ¡°So when you have someone who can just use sheer brute force or presence to tear down an entire contract built upon countless lawyers and interwoven by magic carefully weaved by generations¡­ and that¡¯s without tapping into the type of power being The Witch¡­ or Magician of the hill.¡±


    There were no words to describe just how bad that sounded. Only the mere sound of my palm striking my head could fully explain just how bad things were.


    Yet there was a question I had to ask ¡°Then why did they pick me over you?¡±


    That earned a hearty chuckle as she just sort of smirked ¡°You tell me which you think is worse? A lawyer without contracts or a half-elf with backing?¡±


    Now it sort of made sense¡­ they thought I was powerless so long as nobody made deals with me. So the idea that house arrest with no visitors probably sounded like an easy fix.


    Right up until the square peg didn¡¯t fit into the round hole.


    Getting up off the ground she placed the RPG book with the small pile of books she wanted to borrow from me before she continued ¡°Turns out you are just some sort of crazy ¡®mad scientist based¡¯ magic. Not sure if that''s better or worse really.¡±


    ¡°What can I do to convince these people that I¡¯m not a threat?¡± I muttered.


    Being trapped in a house was annoying, but with enough time, research, and supplies I might be able to escape on my own. If they realized that they were mistaken they might go for more creative means of limited my access to¡­ well everything.


    Averia chuckled ¡°Let my dad and Mr Hawkings into the house and burn all of the contracts Agatha Willow made over the years.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I spoke, shocking her ¡°What? I mean it''s not like I can use them.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± She glanced around the room as if trying to spot a hidden camera ¡°You could¡­ no wait¡­ How do you¡­ fuel your craft again exactly?¡±


    ¡°One moment¡­¡± I half muttered walking back to my room ¡°I think I have Cassy¡¯s old introduction guide book¡­ and we may also need a white board.¡±


    There was a long pause before Averia groaned ¡°You know¡­ I came to learn how to summon fireballs, make crowds of people forget me, and figure out how to make coal into diamonds¡­ only to have my Science teachers of old cackling like witches.¡±


    She hissed in frustration as I continued up the stairs ¡°Admit it! This is all gibberish nonsense and Ms Furgison put you up to it!¡±


    A part of me couldn¡¯t help, but wonder why they would think that proper magic wouldn¡¯t be any less complicated like everything else in the world?


    Airplanes flew through the air finding exploits in air pressure, physics, and a whole lot more stuff to turn a trip that might take months or years into a dull eight to six hour ride. Very mundane, basic, useful¡­ and highly dangerous if you mess up.


    Just like so many things in life really.

 CH10

    It felt a little bit strange waking up with nothing bad happening to me right now. Nobody tried attacking me, no sudden alarms, and no cryptic dreams of a haunting doom close to my future.


    But just because there were no immediate threats after my life didn¡¯t mean that all of my problems had also gone away. It took me a little bit longer trying to leave my room as I knew what problems I was going to have to face.


    The stack of new books sat right next to my reminder¡­ along with the shorthand notes reminding me of the problems I had to deal with today.


    Domains, fae rules, trying to understand ¡®their magic¡¯ which was a trial in itself.


    On the surface the rules were the same¡­ except they worked in opposite areas. ¡®Fae Magic¡¯ for a better lack of word operated on presence and secrecy¡­ follow the masquerade rules to hide the existence of magic and then when it is time to reveal yourself go as big, flashy, and loud as possible.


    Normal¡­ well my magic operated in the same method as a gun¡­ in more ways than one. Yes it could kill your opponent quickly, but waving around a gun got you killed¡­ and everybody knew about guns. The simple trick was shooting first, well, and taking cover.


    Or that what I kept trying to tell myself when my new ¡®housemate¡¯ had knocked on my door before more or less strolling into my room before finishing the knock. I had been trapped inside this house for four days and yet she always found the time to ¡®stumble¡¯ across me half-naked.


    And she always tried to ¡®return the favor¡¯ at the moment. This time she was wearing a loose shirt that went below her waist, but didn¡¯t seem to be wearing much besides it. There probably was something hidden to give her a sense of modesty, but the shirt tried to imply otherwise.


    She looked me up and down before giving her best attempt at a whistle as I sighed ¡°What is it now?¡±


    The half-elf crossed her arms ¡°So¡­ any more hints from the book she left?¡±


    The recovered (or magically appeared) book that everyone had left when the old hag died had somehow brought itself back into the house. It was an interesting book that brought more questions than answers¡­ and half of those answers made you regret learning them.


    Making sure my pants were up and secure before she tried anything I motioned towards the array of pictures much to the confusion of Averia. To anyone else they were a mess of gibberish¡­ to myself?


    ¡°Look familiar?¡± I asked ¡°It took a good chunk of the night, but I cracked the first half of this section.¡±


    That was a lie as the ¡®code¡¯ for this section had been extremely simple. Heck it practically handed me the blueprints and a step by step video on how to solve it¡­ yet to anyone else?


    She glanced at the picture of the blond-haired woman in the green dress ¡°Uh¡­ are these people she tried to blackmail¡­ or the people in charge of the outsiders resting at the city border?¡±


    The picture of ¡®knife girl¡¯ was left hanging on the whiteboard with a line connecting her picture to the Half-elf girl¡­ The ¡®green heir¡¯ so to speak as I had already tried asking who this person was to a couple of other people and¡­ nobody seemed to know.


    Especially the people who had been calling for her head on the day of the trial¡­ everyone expect for The Stitch Witch at least.


    Running a hand through my hair I motioned over to the second picture of the woman who had called herself ¡®Scarlet¡¯ who looked like a tan beauty model¡­ to the ginger.


    There was no explanation for the feeling as if you asked me I wouldn¡¯t have noticed or remembered. Yet it was like trying to remember a person¡¯s face only to be given a picture to help connect the dots¡­ only in this case it was a little more complicated.


    ¡°No idea.¡± Averia muttered before taking a closer look at the pictures ¡°Amber camping out in the woods when she was studying Norse Rune work, but I don¡¯t see the connection.¡±


    I motioned towards the other two pictures feeling a pit in my stomach ¡°And these two?¡±


    The half-elf nodded her head ¡°Alexandria and¡­ Hazel.¡± She rubbed her head ¡°No clue who the other girls are or what their connection is..¡±


    I glanced at the pictures. Two of them were of Alexandria¡­ and the other two were ¡®Hazel¡¯ and Rebbeca. The only problem was that Averia couldn¡¯t make the connection¡­ I mean it should have been obvious since they were pictures of the exact same person¡­


    Except when you added in the first picture. The one stupid picture I had forgotten on that stupid night. The one that showed when I first came to this stupid house on a hill as the old friendly lady had taken a picture of us all at that dinner table.


    Her victims with the words ¡®Anyone can be nice for a day¡¯. The second set being listed as ¡®Anyone can change for a day¡¯. Then the third set ending with ¡®And sometimes we forgot what actually happened for a day.¡¯


    In short¡­ the entire thing was set up both as a trophy for the havoc the old witch had caused¡­ and a not so subtle clue at telling who had been ¡®compromised¡¯ when during the night of that stupid trial. Out of the four girls who had left Willow¡¯s Hill¡­ only two of them escaped as the other two had been captured.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I lied to her ¡°Just trying to figure out the gaps. The encryption part isn¡¯t that hard¡­ but it¡¯s the ¡®obvious hints¡¯ that make me want to bang my head against the wall.¡±


    The half-elf girl shrugged ¡°It¡¯s memories of our past when Agatha trained us¡­¡± She was silent for a moment ¡°So how long until you are ready? I mean I finally got you out of house arrest.¡±


    That brought a small measure of enjoyment to me since there was a lot of stuff I was missing¡­ and yet questions of how I was going to pay for it started to rise up. Since all of my old ID cards (real and faked) were gone along with a few bank cards¡­ pretty much anything with a name on it had been removed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry the Council is willing to pay to help you restock on supplies.¡± Averia spoke in a calm tone ¡°Just so long as you¡­¡±


    ¡°Check the morague.¡± I muttered with unease ¡°They seriously kept the corpse of a Reanimator there?¡±


    The half-elf scratched the back of her head ¡°Most things tend to stay dead after they die¡­ and whatever they did wasn¡¯t necromancy¡­ which is kind of freakier. I mean we have wards built to deal with regular necromancy.¡±


    Apparently the ¡®dead bodies¡¯ of anything from that night had magically been sent to someplace safe and out of the way to prevent any of the ¡®normal people¡¯ from showing the head of a dead werewolf to the local news.


    The problem was that the Reanimtors were ¡®technically dead¡¯ during that period making everyone think things were safe¡­ right up until they reanimated themselves and got to work reviving those who had been working for them along with a few others.


    The Council didn¡¯t want to admit that they were tricked and asked for my help¡­ but they had reached a point where their pride no longer mattered.


    The Reanimators were from Kornea and they didn¡¯t even know much less cared about the unwritten rules of the secret magical Masquerade¡­ and The Council was getting fed up with damage control.


    ¡°Give me an hour to finish getting dressed and putting away my stuff.¡± I replied, glancing at my alchemist set ¡°It would be dangerous if anyone messed with it without me being nearby to fix it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let them know you are disarming the booby traps.¡± Averia spoke half-joking.


    Truth was that I didn¡¯t trust them trying to steal anything while I was gone. The other problem was that I needed time to finish cleaning up and finishing the last of my paranoia checks.


    Once the half-elf left my room. I went into my bathroom and checked the picture of myself. Most people would think it was vain to keep a picture of themselves in the bathroom, but I remembered the dirt and grim¡­ how it felt as if I had been half buried in a grave.


    It wasn¡¯t the best picture I ever had, but it matched ¡®me¡¯ during the first picture¡­ and it was ¡®me¡¯ in the second picture. If I had been compromised then I wouldn¡¯t match the same description of the person in the picture.


    ¡°Brown hair. Brown eyes, ears are not pointed¡­¡± I glanced at the blood red stained water. ¡°Blood is still red so I¡¯m still human no matter what they say.¡±


    A small vial of healing potion had been left by the counter as I took out the eyedropper and applied a drop onto my arms. The wound healed without even leaving a mark¡­ I would make a killing selling this stuff in Kornea if I knew how to make it.


    Still rubbing my wrists I took a deep breath and glanced at the clock. Over an hour had been spent trying to brew up new ink, tending to the (Semi-illegal in Kornea) plants, and of course trying to ease the morning paranoia that kicked in when my life wasn¡¯t in danger.


    ¡°Time to start a new day.¡± I told my reflection.


    <hr>


    You know when most people brought you outside you expected certain reactions. If you are brought to crowds who are booing, then you are in trouble. If you were given bodyguards then it meant they were trying to protect you. If they sent people to watch you then it meant they were trying to keep you from running.


    So what did it say when their first destination was a bank?


    I sat in one of the offices trying not to swing my feet underneath the chair or start to wonder how many pieces of magically enchanted items I had concealed all over my body. The revolver felt hot in its holster as I had repeatedly explained that I had a concealed firearms licences before every ID I had was stolen from me.


    Ironically or more annoyingly they treated my gun like a joke as they sent Mr Knight to help escort me around town. Mr Knight being the large burly bald black bodyguard that made me think ¡®Cobra Bubbles¡¯ if anyone asked me to make a joke about him¡­ or that would be the (obviously fake) name he would give me if I asked.


    Mr Knight was busy trying to speak with one of the bank managers while Averia ironically was the one barred from entering the building. As in they had literal security officers setting up iron push stops right outside the door when they spotted her.


    The kind that stopped people until they pushed forward, put some coins into the machine, or simply hopped over them.


    Averia was left standing outside the bank glaring at the security officers who stayed behind the objects.


    After a few minutes the balding man in a business suit stepped back into the room while closing the curtains to try to give us a bit more privacy¡­ it wasn¡¯t sure if he was supposed to do that or if it was legal, but then again¡­ the magical community really didn¡¯t seem to care about ¡®Mundane Legal law¡¯ so to speak.


    He pulled out a cloth and whipped his forehead ¡°I take it this is the Heir¡­ or is he?¡±


    ¡°The Magician.¡± The knight emphasised ¡°He is not The Binder, but The Traveler.¡±


    It took me a few seconds before I remembered he was referring to the ¡®titles¡¯ which each of the heirs had been given. The fact that I was the person who wanted to leave, yet couldn¡¯t made the man calm down a little.


    The banker smiled though it was still a bit strained ¡°So¡­ For the purpose of your records and accounts, what are your domains.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we are setting up?¡± I asked pulling out my wallet ¡°No ID, records, or¡­¡±


    ¡°His craft lies outside standard magic.¡± The knight interjected ¡°At the cost of his memories.¡±


    ¡°My memory is perfectly fine.¡± I nearly snapped back ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you have some crazy witch curse messing with everyone else¡¯s memories.¡±


    There was an awkward pause as Mr Knight rolled his eyes as the banker stared at me as if I had taken one too many blows to the head. With a bitter sigh I pulled out the ¡®fancy gloves¡¯ and a piece of coal. With a bit of magic and a tight grip I placed the newly formed diamond onto the table as the banker stared at it in disbelief.


    The Knight coughed looking back at the door ¡°The Traveler is supposed to find new arcane¡­ and Kravos had done a little too well.¡±


    The banker pulled out a pair of spectacles as he examined the diamond with an almost drooling interest before he popped the diamond into his mouth and seemed to chew on it for a second before spitting it out.


    ¡°No glamour, rough cut, probably needs to be cleaned up, but¡­¡± He glanced at me as the fear had been replaced with open greed ¡°Yes¡­ Yes I believe I can look up the old records and accounts of the Willow estate.¡±


    He quickly moved out of his seat and started looking through the various boxes, cabinets, and records¡­ but he never returned the diamond.


    After a few moments he placed down the various stacks of papers, documents, and a large assortment of pens. He was about to hand me one until the knight stopped him as he shook his head. The man withdrew an old iron ink pen and a bottle of ink.


    ¡°Be very careful.¡± Mr Knight spoke with a small glare at me ¡°His¡­ Pacts tend to have a more lethal bite than most.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°But I thought you said¡­¡± The banker stumbled


    ¡°Spirit of the Pact. Not the Letter.¡± I informed him ¡°Eldritch beings do not understand legal loopholes or they tend to take offense.¡±


    The fact I had to keep repeating it so many times made me wonder if I should start making business cards with the words printed on it.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The banker started to dab the top of his forehead with the cloth again ¡°But¡­ you obtained the domain of stone¡­ or is it riches from them?¡±


    ¡°It is not ¡®riches¡¯ if you can make gemstones as cheap as plastic rocks.¡± I said with a sigh ¡°Inflation is still a thing after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes¡­¡± The banker spoke in an almost wishful tone ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to crash the mundane marketplace with hard to find gemstones now would we. They¡¯d probably waste them making rings or something.¡±


    Mr Knight cleared his throat waking the banker from his wishful dream ¡°This is to help set up proper funds for research, abiding to Council Rule¡­ and for providing a means of pay for¡­ odd tasks that would be better left out of official reports.¡±


    The banker took one look at my gloves ¡°So you have no Domain¡­ yet you can make Diamonds¡­¡± He slowly nodded his head ¡°Yes¡­ that is something best left unwritten on official documents.¡±


    He carefully placed the contracts before me as he explained each one. The man left no detail out trying to set out every detail, responsibility, and to make sure that I understood what the contract actually meant in order to avoid any ¡®Pacts¡¯ causing a rebound effect.


    After two hours all of the long drawn out papers had been signed as the man had walked away filling the reports. The worst part was that if they hadn¡¯t been trying to point out and explain every detail then I knew it would have been worse.


    Their idea of making sure the Pact wouldn¡¯t rebound was to explain every detail and put it up in the shortest format. Even then I saw them pulling some contracts out and specifically rewriting them as that was their goal for today.


    Bind me with agreements I couldn¡¯t break out of in exchange for not having me play Tyrant on the Hill.


    For me it wasn¡¯t much as I probably would have agreed to most of the things anyway¡­ yet for them? It felt odd having to agree not to turn anyone¡¯s house pet into a sabertooth tiger or dire wolf. It was a little more worrying that there was an entire separate contract specifically made for ¡®not shooting the messenger¡¯ when they brought bad news.


    Most of the basic agreements I had asked for in return were agreed without even a second thought in exchange for the ones previously mentioned. The only one that left a real point of concern was the one listed as ¡®mind control¡¯ or any attempts of tampering the mind through the use of magic.


    That took far longer than I would have liked.


    By the time we got to hammering out the final details. Mr Hawkings had stepped into the office. The dark skinned wizard had carried a briefcase full of papers and one glaring Alaeros rubbing his mitten gloves.


    ¡°Were they really necessary?¡± The elf hissed in mild annoyance


    Mr Hawkings shrugged ¡°Secrecy is needed and there are outsiders lurking about. So¡­ agreement about this eye?¡±


    I carefully pulled the silver orb out of my backpack ¡°This is the stupid silver orb. Do not touch, do not get blood on it, and do not think that toying with the Ring of Sauron will end in anything other than your own demise.¡±


    That actually earned a chuckle from the elf as the others stared at the orb in slight disappointment. They knew it was magical, but somehow I expected that they were expecting something a bit¡­ more magical so to speak.


    Pulling out a notepad Mr Hawkings read out loud ¡°If you ignore the rope in the trees you will take an Eye for the Eye that was Taken.¡± the others glanced at him in unease as he looked up at me ¡°What would happen if somebody stole it? If someone more reckless might try to use it?¡±


    I chuckled nervously, shaking my head ¡°What would happen? Nothing at first¡­ they might hear whispers or voices, but nothing bad until they try to use it.¡± I focused on him ¡°Thus the whole ¡®Do not poke cursed relic¡¯ line.¡±


    ¡°You read his future.¡± Alaeros spoke in a grim tone ¡°That''s why you chose him over the others.¡±


    They all glanced at me as I started to feel a little bit unease as the damn thing started whispering in the background. Just minor words¡­ thoughts¡­ suggestions that lingered in the back of your mind.


    Covering the thing up I hissed loudly ¡°Did you seriously make a Pact with Para¡¯dax! You do realize that the concept of linearity is a novel idea to him right!¡±


    There was a long pause as I could actually hear the eldritch entity chuckling as I zipped up the backpack. My mind was racing for how much damage control I was going to have to deal with before¡­


    ¡°No¡­ I actually read the cards to get a glimpse of your future.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke putting away his notepad ¡°What do you mean by ¡®linearity¡¯ as a novel concept?¡±


    I gritted my teeth as I wasn¡¯t sure if his excuse somehow made things worse if it was better that the person in charge hadn¡¯t tried making a Pact with one of the more powerful if slightly dangerous eldritch beings.


    Not that Para¡¯dax was evil mind you¡­ just¡­ dangerous.


    The kind of absurd danger that if he had a butterfly flapping its wings you had an actual hurricane appear a few miles regardless of the previous weather.


    ¡°A being that had been explained what the term paradox actually meant. So naturally it decided to name itself after the term, finding it absolutely delightful.¡± I slowly muttered ¡°If that doesn¡¯t give you a reason for concern then I don¡¯t know what will.¡±


    There was the odd long stare ¡°How?¡±


    I had no idea who asked the question, but I shook my head ¡°Magic is the alteration of reality which in terms means it still works within the confines of reality. Fire burns, water is wet, manipulation of biomass can restore limbs.¡±


    ¡°Manipulation of biomass¡­¡± The banker stumbled over the words.


    I glanced at him ¡°Flesh, bone and muscle. I can in theory hack off my hand and stick it back on¡­ but I can not turn my hand into a solid gold brick.¡±


    Maybe that was pushing it a little, but it gave you a general frame of reference for how merely improbable things were possible when you applied magic to it.


    I cleared my throat as I set up the part most sane people stayed away from ¡°When something falls across the ¡®Eldritch Line¡¯ you don¡¯t ask¡­ you try your best to deal with it and then promptly ignore it for your own sanity.¡±


    ¡°Worst case.¡± Mr Hawkings replied.


    That actually took me off guard for a moment as most people tend to take the words ¡®Eldritch¡¯ and ¡®Insanity¡¯ as self explanatory. Most people liked being sane so most people tended to avoid trying to drive themselves insane.


    But these people had Fae so maybe betting on their sanity was a bad bet.


    I pinched my nose ¡°Worst case? Imeria gets contracted with a vessel and starts trying to ¡®help¡¯ all the poor helpless humans unable to fully express or utilize their lovely imagination. She isn¡¯t evil mind you¡­ but she has a hard time trying to understand human concepts.¡±


    Trying to repress a shiver I tried to give a broad example ¡°Like how humans might struggle if you gave them muscular bodies that prevented them from walking¡­ or allowing a human to always have their physical form change as even their own senses would shift around every hour¡­ that doing that might cause the lovely human mind to go horribly insane.¡±


    There was an awkward cough as they all looked at me with unease and fear. The fact that I was telling them the truth and through some odd quirk that their brain didn¡¯t want to admit¡­ the flickering glance at the orb made it seem obvious.


    Like I was stating the sky was blue or that walking on the ground wouldn¡¯t suddenly have us fly straight into the stratosphere. Some basic concepts that even a child understood from how blindingly obvious it was.


    The ¡®helpful aspect¡¯ of the orb that simply helped people understand that I was telling the truth and there was no misunderstanding, exaggeration, or deceit¡­ just the simple truth.


    It technically wasn¡¯t mind control only due to the fact that it served to help ¡®translate¡¯ certain ideas or concepts to beings that struggled with them¡­ like how the process of linear time works.


    ¡°Why would anyone want it?¡± The banker spoke with unease


    The elf shook his head ¡°No¡­ how was it built and what do the people outside the city want with it. That is the question we should be asking.¡±


    That earned a slightly bitter chuckle out of me ¡°Same reason why anyone else would want it. Power and for some like Akara¡­ they want to make a second Spire.¡±


    There was a long pause as the others didn¡¯t seem to understand what I was saying, but the obvious look of fear on the elf¡¯s face told me that he knew. The name was lost on everyone else, but the sense of recognition and fear was all to familiar.


    I glanced at him ¡°I take it¡­ there is a reason for their grudge against the Fae?¡±


    All eyes turned on him as he tried changing the subject ¡°When was the city of the lost made?¡±


    There was no easy way of telling them the truth¡­ They were thinking that Kornea was some ancient vast city built before the dawn of man hidden away in some magical deep subspace pocket that could only be reached through some obscure arcane means.


    ¡°The first city¡­ roughly around the first Crusade. Kornea on the other hand was claimed I think around World War One¡­ maybe that brief period in between it and the second world war..¡± I muttered trying to remember ¡°Honestly it''s more due to the advancement of the craft that things are starting to get a bit more common or easier¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean it¡¯s new.¡± Mr Knight spoke in disbelief ¡°But how¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean it¡¯s becoming more¡­ common.¡± The elf spoke with unease


    I rolled my eyes ¡°Anything beforehand would easily be dismissed or small enough not to really make a big impact. It¡¯s why you don¡¯t get history books with native american indians flinging fireballs and lightning bolts at the english settlers or why the Incan Empire fell to the Spanish.¡±


    There was a small awkward pause as I realized that technically¡­ these people had magic not related or connected to The Spire¡­ I mean¡­ even then the closest thing to address the public consciousness or even humanity entertaining the idea of something like this came from HP Lovecraft.


    ¡°You do realize that the closest thing to public concesiones to ¡®Eldritch¡¯ roughly came out around the 1900s right?¡± I asked, trying to remind everyone of that certain writer ¡°Is it that hard to believe that those working the craft wouldn¡¯t improve upon it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The wizards spoke in a unified tone


    That answer actually threw me off as you generally replaced old things with new things. An old sword breaks? Get a new one. Someone found out how to make a better gun? Get it. A random person found out how to cast magic without the use of long inefficient knifes, robes, and vague latin like chanting?


    Far easier to go to the supermarket and pick up spell ingredients than trying to pretend they were a secret cult society. Especially when the internet making it easier to communicate with people these days.


    ¡°Quick question¡­ why isn¡¯t there any history records of your side getting involved with the first or second World War?¡± Sure it was a little bit off topic, but the question was starting to bother me ¡°I doubt it was due to lack of supplies as technically that is the major reason why most people who leave Kornea can¡¯t continue the craft.¡±


    ¡°Who says we didn¡¯t?¡± Alaeros spoke with a hint of amusement ¡°You don¡¯t find it odd that the concept of Gremlins didn¡¯t become popular around the Second World War?¡±


    Mr Hawkings coughed ¡°Not that anyone had any involvement with it.¡±


    ¡°Gremlins¡­¡± I repeated as the elf couldn¡¯t be serious¡­ could he?


    The elf in question chuckled ¡°An offshoot of goblin. You don¡¯t find it strange that your so called ¡®imp¡¯ can walk into a church, suck on batteries, and cause ¡®mischief¡¯ to electronics? Almost as if they had been bred specifically for that purpose when there were no mention or hints of them before?¡±


    He just sort of smirked ¡°A rather ¡®odd¡¯ path of evolution considering how ¡®new¡¯ technology is. Or did you think Gremlins before then just ran around in forests and open plains trying to find random thunderstorms to sate their hunger until ¡®modern¡¯ batteries and electricity had been invented?¡±


    ¡°Futurm isn¡¯t a gremlin.¡± I tried to argue ¡°He is just¡­¡±


    ¡°A genetically modified organism with fancy sounding words to try to explain a concept while ignoring the obvious truth.¡± Alaeros spoke in a deadpan tone ¡°Ever since the printing press came out humanity preferred pretending that they knew everything and ignored the obvious signs that suggest otherwise.¡±


    He chuckled ¡°Reminds me of when they tried stating how America didn¡¯t exist or how Lemuria had to exist because of Lemur fossils as they ignored evidence of continental drift until the proof practically was slapped across their faces.¡±


    I felt like saying something if only to defend my argument, but the elf had made a pretty good point¡­ one that was a little harder to argue with than ¡®They were called imps more to mess with crusaders factions¡¯... especially to an elf admitting that there was supernatural activity during the world wars.


    It was just that humanity tried to ignore the supernatural nonsense.


    Also, apparently Gremlins were a thing.


    The elf glanced at Mr. Hawkings ¡°So now that eldritch monsters have been confirmed to be real and that this ¡®orb¡¯ is supposed to help them transition into this reality¡­ is there a part in that prediction of the future to help us avoid having the city ripped from existence?¡±


    Mr Hawkings pulled out the notepad again as the rest of the room looked at my backpack with the same careful stance as one might handle a highly volatile explosive or a very fragile vial of some contagious super virus.


    Say what you want about Alaeros, but I had to admit¡­ he made a pretty convincing argument for everyone to not mess with the silver orb of doom.


    The older wizard cleared his throat ¡°Silence brings inspiration at the door, Pale faced innocent will drown in bile. And he will be paid his price.¡±


    Nobody said anything as I tried to figure out what exactly all of that was referring to. I mean¡­ cryptic nonsense that could probably justify anything after it had happened, but it was all gibberish to me.


    Mr Hawking glanced at me ¡°And yes The Council has taken cosidity of the corpse hanging in the tree¡­ We thought it would be wise to prevent temptation after all.¡±


    ¡°And that is what you were going with to pick me out of all the Heirs?¡± I asked mildly annoyed that a prophecy was the reason I was stuck being here.


    The wizard shook his head ¡°When the phrases ¡®The Blade shall sing upon the blood of the innocent¡¯ or ¡®As you laugh over the corpses of the fallen¡¯ generally are not recommendations of endorsement.¡±


    That was¡­ I had to admit that while that didn¡¯t say what was supposed to happen... it gave enough incentive to take the cryptic warning with a grain of salt. Especially when you had Fae living within the city.


    ¡°Okay fine.¡± I shook my head ¡°Let''s find a thick bank vault or a rather deep pit to toss this into. Find out what problem is trying to kill me, and then let me leave this city.¡±


    The banker had been nodding his head in agreement before rapidly shaking his head at the last part. Apparently my little ¡®gem trick¡¯ was far too valuable to him than the threat of an eldritch apocalypse striking the city.


    Mr Hawkings took a deep breath ¡°That will be complicated because latter on this week¡­ we will need to address your rival.¡±


    ¡°My rival?¡± I asked in mild disbelief


    Mr Hawkings bit his lip before finally saying ¡°The other forces left within the city who haven¡¯t committed crimes like this¡­ Spire Faction have found themselves a patron and backer.¡±


    I shook my head as this really didn¡¯t matter to me. Trying to keep the people outside the city to stay outside the city felt more concerning to me. In fact the whole ¡®reanimators running loose¡¯ bit felt like a larger concern than some idiots running about as Lord of the Ring rejects.


    ¡°One of the Heirs has already made it back into the city¡­ and they are challenging the current heir by rite of magic as they seek to reinforce their claim of the Hill against your current ownership.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke in an annoyed tone


    I nearly snapped back at him as I had a good line prepared right up until he opened up the suitcase. It showed a picture of a family being held hostage with some really pale people grinning with teeth far too sharp for human mouths.


    ¡°One of the Council has been taken hostage along with her family.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke in a dull tone ¡°So please¡­ if you say this doesn¡¯t matter to you¡­ let me know beforehand.¡±


    I gulped as a large part of me really wanted to say that. Whatever they had done was their own fault and just because they kept me trapped in this city didn¡¯t mean I was going to run around as their trained errand dog.


    Yet it is a lot harder to say ¡®no¡¯ when you can actually do something to help.


    The elf nodded his head ¡°Her claim is by rite of magic as while you legally own the hill by mortal law. She is stating her claim of ownership by magic overrides yours. That also includes things like basic human decency to how people should be treated.¡±


    I took a deep breath as I tried to state the obvious ¡°So shoot her in the head. Surely this place has a SWAT team or something¡­ I mean if I walk in there then what is to prevent ¡®her¡¯ from simply having everyone shoot me?¡±


    ¡°There are rules.¡± Mr Knight finally spoke up ¡°To try and cheat your claim would be to admit that her own claim is insufficient. It would weaken the grasp of her own domain and to those she has lured on the promise of empty promises.¡±


    Okay so she couldn¡¯t simply have people shoot me because that would make her look weak. It still didn¡¯t sound like a good enough reason to me. After all you could simply shoot anyone who claimed you were weak until nobody was left to say it outloud.


    Plenty of bullies operated on that premise and they didn¡¯t let little details or facts interfere with their ego.


    ¡°The Council has agreed to give you a blank check for today to buy any necessary supplies you may need including materials you will require for your craft, research, and¡­ food for the house.¡± Mr Hawkings admitted in mild reluctance ¡°If you succeed your claim upon the hill will be secure.¡±


    ¡°I would rather all of you accompany me than toss me in front of their doorstep.¡± I muttered in open annoyance.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Mr Knight spoke without a second thought as I turned to stare at him ¡°You fear she might try to do something underhanded. We will ensure that you arrive there safely for the Trial.¡±


    I pinched the bridge of my nose and thought of all the reasons why I shouldn¡¯t be doing this. In fact I tried limiting them down to things that logically made sense instead of just out of pure spite of everyone keeping me trapped here.


    Then I thought about what Jack would have done.


    It would have been easy to have simply walked away¡­ yet he didn¡¯t when I was in danger.


    I owed him that and he¡¯d probably have wanted me to do the same.


    Even if it was freaking stupid.


    ¡°You do realize I¡¯m going to need bullets for my revolver right?¡± I asked revealing the gun ¡°I¡¯d like a better gun, but I¡¯m on short notice.¡±


    ¡°We will have a case ready when you return to the house.¡± Mr Hawkings replied without missing a beat ¡°Anything else?¡±


    I thought about it for a little bit longer ¡°What are the pale people in the picture? If I have to fight them then I¡¯d like to know what they¡­¡±


    ¡°Vampires.¡± Mr Knight replied.


    I nearly chuckled ¡°Vampires? You can¡¯t be serious¡­ you¡¯re serious.¡±


    ¡°It is the reason why they want to have the meeting at night, Magician.¡± Mr Knight spoke in a firm tone ¡°Like elves¡­ vampires are real.¡±


    A nervious chuckle escaped my throat as I had to ask the stupid question "Does garlic work on them?"

 CH11 Interlude

    Averia Willow had mixed feelings about technology though it wasn¡¯t due to the traditional problems most magical people had with it. If you gave her a cellphone with a lot of plastic she would use it. The fact she managed to smuggle an extra laptop into the shopping cart was a real joy.


    She glanced at Kravos who was handling a bunch of iron pieces and wielding them together through his strange ¡®mad science¡¯ magic. She watched the gremlin (who absolutely hated to be called one) mess around with wires that needed to be carefully placed into the small metal models.


    They called them drones, but the term ¡®golem¡¯ rang in the back of her mind. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure what the difference was, but there was a lot of strange magic or science at work.


    Her own fingers kept clear from the iron and steel tools as those arcane metals weren¡¯t nearly as dangerous or deadly to her than her father¡­ but they still stung.


    It was why she felt a bit nervous around certain pieces of technology that had a bit too much iron in much the same way a normal human would feel nervous about holding a hot metal pan with a cloth or glove that had a couple of holes in it.


    She glanced at the task she had been left to as even the Kazult girl had been able to help out with trying to put together those little iron contraptions while she had been left sorting through the large basket of clothing trying to find something ¡®normal¡¯ for tonight¡¯s challenge.


    ¡°So what is your plan?¡± Averia asked, glancing at the old fashioned egg timer.


    One built by gear and cogs that you needed to twist to set as only a frail plastic coating protected you from the iron bell as Agatha Willow had insisted on having iron within its construction. She would find a few pixies to torment the Council Member who claimed that they didn¡¯t need a digital egg timer.


    ¡°Scout around. Set them up and hope for the best?¡± Kravos spoke unsure himself ¡°What exactly is this whole ¡®trial¡¯ supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Rite of Challenge.¡± Nadel spoke as the Kazlut girl was busy trying to copy down what he was doing for this iron drone project ¡°Traditionally the challenger sets the location. The one challenged gets to pick the tools¡­ though in this case the challenge is probably a fight to the death.¡±


    She watched him pull out the odd gas lantern that had a flame that¡­ didn¡¯t exactly act like a normal fire. It was an odd sort of proof of this¡­ alien magic set out for all to see. That the term ¡®eldritch¡¯ implied something that none of them really understood.


    There was an odd mixture of life and death mixed in between the flames as even Nadel tried not to gaze upon the flames as the alluring siren call sang to her as much as it did to the half-elf. Yet it was the contrast which stayed their hand along with the odd almost sickening feeling when they prepared to reach out with their domains to touch it.


    It wasn¡¯t their flame. It belonged to Kravos and whatever ¡®Pact¡¯ he had to ensure that they would suffer if they tried to steal it from him. Still such a relic would have been jealousy guarded by Agatha Willow and hidden away in a safe.


    Kravos used it to light his magical blowtorch.


    Nadel had compared it to ¡®Grabbing a golden brick and hitting it against someone¡¯s head. It was rare, expensive, valuable¡­ and he¡¯d still hit it against your head as if it was a common brick.¡¯


    The everdancing green flames wielded the pieces of metal together for his insect like models. They lacked the spark of magic¡­ traditional magic while the Gremlin laced wire, circuit, and glass lens into their iron frames.


    A dozen small constructs that Kravos had drew bazar lines of ink upon. She could feel something from them, but it was hard to explain as it was¡­ like trying to describe air. You couldn¡¯t see it, feel it, taste it¡­ but you knew it was there.


    Each tiny iron spiderfly thing rested as Nadel had a copy of ¡®Golems through the ages¡¯ resting in her lap. She found this project more fascinating that the other projects he had been working on as a few Council Flunkies were less than happy to be on Garlic Juicer duty.


    Still the iron egg timer ticked reminding them of the ¡®big project¡¯ resting outside of the house.


    Averia glanced outside to the makeshift containers forged from plastic gutters as the odd multitude of cleaners, chemicals, and some odd powder had caused it to start smoking technicolor rainbow smoke that nobody was supposed to breathe in.


    No humans at least as a few of the Fae Folk had made the mistake. A centaur was left having a talking debate with a truck (and losing), two fairies were lying in a coffee pot after having emptied most of their stomachs in a potted plant¡­ and one Tree Nymph was left lying in a stupor inside the greenhouse as she kept trying to catch ¡®all of the pretty lights¡¯.


    The last one was immune to most human drugs due to the fact she was a tree spirit.


    That left Averia to sort through various articles of clothing trying to find something that ¡®Kravos Graveson Lynch¡¯ would wear or something that would pass as ¡®acceptable¡¯ to the challenge being issued.


    She tossed aside more of the clothing in a pile as she glanced at her old crush. In some ways this wasn¡¯t the person she had fallen in love with before.


    The gnawing hunger and desire for power had been replaced with a dull apathy. The rush to test himself against any foe was now replaced with a weary fear and paranoia¡­ the thrill to challenge himself had been grinded down¡­


    Yet he was still there.


    She recognized that spark in his eyes when he spoke about something he cared about. That odd twist of imagination still tried to carve out new ways to apply the craft. Even now there was a twisted madness¡­ or genius to his plan as he may have resigned himself to the challenge, but he didn¡¯t plan on dying.


    That Kravos planned on winning as the Gremlin chuckled with a malevolent glee that reminded her that he planned on winning even if it meant he had to be underhanded.


    She pulled out a red cloak and inspected the material feeling it in between her fingers. She had no idea who had donated the red cloak, but it was large enough to wrap around an entire person with ease. Maybe she might need to adjust some of its length, but she tossed it inside the ¡®acceptable¡¯ pile.


    Old Kravos probably would have gone with black robes and skulls on it. Something to give off an intimidation vibe to make up for his lack of magic¡­ something to try to firmly display his status as a Heir of the Hill even if most ignored him due to his lack of magic.


    The new Kravos had accepted his absurdity and wore it like a cloak¡­ or suit of armor. It was this stance that ironically brought more attention to him as he didn¡¯t try displaying his presence¡­ he didn¡¯t try asserting his domain¡­ he just tried to stay hidden and forgotten.


    Even if a wizard tries to hide the existence of magic. When it came to fling fireballs they were as loud and boisterous as even the knights of old shouting ¡®Deus Vult¡¯ as they swung their swords down upon their foes.


    They hid because it was required¡­ and became a force of personality, will, and power when revealed. It was why they hid in towers or hidden cottages far away from civilization, yet forced people to seek them out and grovel before their doorstep.


    Kravos hid every hint of power behind the mundane. His personality was almost forgotten until you remembered to challenge it. His will¡­ She didn¡¯t know too much about it, but she had heard the stories of his actions during the Night of Trial.


    How he danced in between groups hunting him down as he turned them to fight one another while skipping away and laughing at their folly. How he disappeared from sight and mind until he wanted you to notice that you had been tricked, but couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    He played the dance and games akin to the trickster Fae of old, always within sight, but just tauntingly out of reach before you stumbled into the pit he dug beforehand.


    And she found that hot.


    Even now he had that Fae like smile as he slipped on the red glove that had a sort of presence she couldn¡¯t place. Trying to describe it was like trying to describe how you felt when air grew thinner making it harder to breathe while the world pressed down around you.


    Not a force of presence¡­ more like a¡­ lack of it. A lack of your own presence.


    The flames twisted and danced towards his fingers like a flame spirit longing for its contracted partner to call forth the flames. To feed its gnawing hunger and laugh as it was displayed in force once again for all to stare in breathless awe and wonder before its power.


    ¡°Do you have the programs running?¡± Kravos spoke as the flames crawled up to his fingers and rested there like glowing lights ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have a surplus of ink Futurm.¡±


    The gremlin continued tapping away at the keyboard ¡°Cameras are working boss. I got the programs set up, but you gotta keep it steady. Normally I have a lot more imps to deal with the other drones.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just animate them through golem craft instead of¡­¡± Nadel paused before motioning to the odd laptop with wires connecting it to the tiny metal golem.


    Averia glanced up at her work as this was another difference between Kravos and most of the magical community. Some like Nadel had learned to accept technology to a limited degree like the use of cellphones¡­ but most of them didn¡¯t like it.


    Most would force others to use technology for them and even then it was treated like a choir they had been forced to endure.


    In fact Kravos seemed utterly confused and had to repeatedly ask if they were serious about the magical community¡¯s stance on technology.


    The Magician liked technology. He used it buying small technological trinkets and gadgets while even demanding an internet connection with laptops as part of his supplies. The fact argued far more for laptops and internet connection rather than access to the more magical stories with Willow¡¯s Hill caught the council off guard.


    In fact technically speaking¡­ what he bought was far cheaper than what the Council had been expecting¡­ even if it was harder trying to deal with it. The various amounts of chemicals had required other people to purchase them in order to not raise a few eyebrows around ¡®concerned¡¯ mundane citizens.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know how.¡± Kravos replied ¡°Even then we are trying to stay within safe limits rather than trying to touch the ¡®Eldritch Line¡¯ which I doubt your Council would enjoy me doing.¡±


    ¡°As if you could twiddle your fingers and make this thing dance to your tune.¡± The gremlin spoke in a mocking laughter


    Nadel glared at the little creten as he had been allowed to stay alive because he was given safe refuge so long as he stood upon the Willow Estate¡­ and that was only because Kravos found the little monster too useful to get rid of for now.


    The witch adjusted the goggles on her face and began speaking in the art of latin her parents had taught her. It wasn¡¯t exactly her preferred aspect of her Domain, but the animation of metal wasn¡¯t too far from their preferred craft.


    Especially as the alien green flames practically called out to them.


    The witch placed her hand upon the metal ¡®head¡¯ of the golem as magic slowly interwoven itself with the object. The small electronic light flickered to life as the various images and screens on the gremlin¡¯s machine changed to show a live copy of what the small golem was seeing.


    The two natives of Willow¡¯s Hill tried not to let their open awe show as they stared at the laptop screen marking the tiny golem as ¡®Scrap 5¡¯ as the golem flicked open its wings and started to hover.


    It didn¡¯t fly mind you as the wings stood still¡­ Yet they created some sort of force that kept the golem afloat as it moved around to a corner of the room before nestling itself inside the corner.


    The gremlin tapped a few keys ¡°Let¡¯s keep the weapon command offline for now.¡± There was a hint of annoyance in his voice ¡°Are you sure this part is a good idea Boss?¡±


    Kravos glanced at the objects as she could see him trying to think it over for a few seconds ¡°Who¡¯s command do they follow? How do you command them? Would I be able to give them a signal or an unspoken command to activate their weapons on a certain target?¡±


    Averia couldn¡¯t help, but shiver thinking of flying iron insects that could just jump out from nowhere and try latching onto your face. In fact she started feeling a few similarities between these things and the ¡®face huggers¡¯ from that one science fiction horror movie her father had enjoyed watching.


    ¡°They would follow my command¡­¡± Nadel spoke glancing at the laptop ¡°But I could tell them to follow the commands given by the machine.¡±


    Kravos thought about it for a few seconds as the half-elf had no idea what a bunch of tiny metal insect golems were supposed to do¡­ but she guessed if you filled them with explosives they could latch onto someone¡¯s face and blow up.


    In fact that sounded pretty horrifying.


    ¡°I could make it so that they would follow your own command by thought.¡± Averia supplemented as the gremlin and magician stared at her ¡°Nadel would probably still need to animate them, but I could make a basic contract to bestow the ability onto you.¡±


    ¡°The price?¡± The gremlin practically spat.


    Averia smiled, ¡°A favor for the future or more specifically a date.¡±


    There was that odd mix of emotion practically displayed openly on his face again. There was an actual interest as he did seem tempted by the open invitation. Then there was that odd scrunch as he seemed to be against it for some odd reason.


    The look of confusion, debate¡­ unease.


    Averia Willow had worked so hard to survive up to this point and without the various binding and restrictions she was supposed to be able to act more freely and make up for the stupid mistakes of her younger self!


    Kravos had memory problems, but had he remembered more of her blunders than the moments they had shared together?


    She felt her heart race pounding like a drum until he finally said ¡°I have no idea if they¡¯ll let me out of the house again¡­ or if I¡¯ll be able to date anytime soon. I still have people trying to kill me trying to figure out how to break in after all.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a rejection at least.


    A glance at Nadel showed her that the Kazult woman had been thinking the same thing even if she tried to hide it better. The coward had been unwilling to risk admitting her feelings in fear of being unable to spy on him and trying to steal his work like she was doing right now.


    ¡°Also probably illegal.¡± The gremlin whispered just loud enough to add more doubt to Kravos¡¯s mind ¡°I mean you know¡­¡±


    The words were left hanging there as Averia felt like grabbing the closest sharpest piece of iron and shoving it into the imp¡¯s left eye!


    Her anger caused her to act without thinking as she spoke ¡°¡±You could ask for the date to be put on hold... I mean I would accept the offer even if you had to cancel it¡­¡± Averia struggled with the words as now unease tainted her voice ¡°Or if something forced you to cancel.¡±


    She had been far too awkward near the end¡­ and far too loose in her binding agreement as her tongue now felt like it was two sizes too large to fit within her own mouth. Pixies would have mocked her for how many loopholes she had given in her contract!


    Yet she had said it¡­ leaving herself wide open because this was Kravos who she had been speaking to.


    The Magician held out his hand with a sigh as for some odd reason he didn¡¯t expect that he would be allowed to date her?


    Still the offer was extended which meant he was willing to do it¡­ that there was an interest which she had to capitalize on before the wretched gremlin could poison his thoughts again!


    The half-elf shook his hand and tried not to wince as she felt the almost electrical surge jolt her hand as she could feel the¡­ the spire magic force the Pact. The only people who left a jolt this strong could be counted on one hand.


    Still she was Fae¡­ half-fae if you had to be technical as she could feel what the others couldn¡¯t touch. The almost odd alien intelligence that brushed against her hand before somehow crawling into her mind.


    By the time she opened her eyes the contract she should have been making had already been completed in just a handshake. A sense of relief filled her heart as a look of confusion filled his eyes¡­ but from more of an unexpected surprise and possible relief.


    Then with a flick of his finger the golem flew down from the table and operated through the unspoken command. The half-elf glanced at the laptop watching the feed of ¡®Scrap five¡¯ zooming in and out as she could tell he was sorting through what he could do before finally nodding in satisfaction.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The Gremlin on the other hand was annoyed at being outdone by ¡®A witch and a Half-elf¡¯ much to her personal satisfaction. Anything that annoyed the Gremlin was good news in her book.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Nadel asked as Averia knew what the witch was asking for ¡°I mean for my services?¡±


    The magician took a deep breath before he shrugged ¡°I could enchant a scarf for you?¡±


    Averia nearly coughed, unsure if it was a gasp of disbelief or a laugh as Nadel Kazult was trying to ask for a date, but too nervous to actually say it outloud. Was it pride, fear, or something else? The Nadel Kazult she knew would have just sat that and accepted it!


    The door opened up from the meeting room as The Stitch Witch spoke ¡°Take it.¡±


    Everyone glanced at the room once again as The Stitch Witch closed the door¡­ technically everyone on the Council was inside that room trying to sort through the large lists of contracts to burn should Kravos fail this night¡­ but it felt odd that The Stitch Witch had been able to hear what they had been talking about before¡­ enforcing her opinion.


    ¡°Just¡­ just give me a moment to get it okay.¡± Nadel spoke unsure of what to do.


    Kravos just nodded as the egg timer continued ticking down.


    Only a couple more hours until sundown.


    <hr>


    Nadel returned to The Witch¡­ no¡­ The Magician¡¯s Hill as she took a deep breath unsure of what to do¡­ of what she¡­ felt?


    Her family had worked hard to have her keep two sets of memories jostled about in her head in order to prevent their family from accidently (or magically) being bound to any of the Heirs of the Hill.


    She didn¡¯t disagree with them even. The half-elf felt far too¡­ close for her liking. Nobody else seemed to have noticed the new sudden ¡®history¡¯ being filled in after the Night of Trial¡­ except for Kravos, but he went about it with the same amount of subtlety as the lunatics with guns from that night.


    It was why she didn¡¯t mind his memories nearly as much as there was a sort of open acknowledgment of it. Averia Willow on the other hand¡­ Nadel didn¡¯t know if she knew¡­ if she had been pulled under the same sway?


    Either way Nadel Kazult didn¡¯t like it. She didn¡¯t like how they had a history that allowed the half-elf girl to leverage so much influence over her. Okay yes she was a bit of a loner as a child due to her family¡¯s situation... but it felt like an intrusion of her memories.


    That the half-elf girl had injected herself into her past because back then she would have wanted a friend and the half-elf wanted useful servants. That there was now a persistent feeling of having interacted with her¡­ talked with her¡­ that Averia Willow was trying to make Nadal Kazult owe her something.


    Forcing the mental blocks she felt more like herself again¡­ even if part of it shifted as she felt the touch of the scarf against her fingers once more. It was just an old scarf that held no value¡­ and too much.


    Walking through the iron gates of the Willow Estate three feelings passed over her¡­ the first was the unconscious breath everyone held as they expected to feel the almost suffocating pressure and presence of Agatha Willow asserting her dominance over them the moment they stepped onto her property.


    It only got worse the closer you got to the house¡­ but there was no presence or pressure now. Kravos simply lacked the knowledge on how to force it¡­ and if rumor was to be believed he hadn¡¯t even established a domain.


    The unease that had been replaced by the slow ease of confusion as she couldn¡¯t help, but rub her fingers against the scarf as if it was a safety blanket. She could feel the memories of another lifetime played out in the back of her mind.


    The small part of her mind that knew it was fake¡­ yet was enamored by it. That sense of understanding¡­ that closeness¡­ her¡­ feelings that left her feeling conflicted.


    The scarf was just a cheap thing bought at a store because it was cold one day as it snowed. She bought it because she needed something to keep the snow off her neck and to help keep her face warm. She paid for the scarf with her own money because it didn¡¯t cost too much and kept it because it still was useful.


    Now?


    There were new strings attached to it. Somehow that stupid engraving had been made with the letters NK as she could remember Kravos having bought it. That he had fumbled with it a little trying to add her name to it letting her know that he didn¡¯t care.


    That he didn¡¯t care who her parents were and as the two outcasts of magical society they could be alone¡­ or be alone together.


    Stupid foolish thoughts¡­ but nice ones that she couldn¡¯t find herself discarding.


    Ones that kept drawing her closer to the house feeling annoyed with Averia flirted with Kravos. The anger she felt with the gremlin tried to sabotage his relations with them¡­ her own complicated feelings as she knew he didn¡¯t know her, but trusted her¡­ while she¡­ didn¡¯t know what she felt.


    Taking a deep breath she pulled out the key to the house¡­ the key she never had until after that night and unlocked the door. She could feel the brush of magic and air against her skin as the trap that had been set against the door had been disarmed.


    In some ways she needed that obvious booby trap to calm her down and remind her what was real and what wasn¡¯t¡­ that she was relying upon the insanity of the situation to keep herself sane wasn¡¯t lost to her.


    The rest of the Council stood in the living room and watched The Stitch Witch work with her needle and thread adding a minor addition to the red cloak that had been selected for Kravos to wear.


    A tiny bit of lining across the edge of the cloak. A few alterations to ensure that it didn¡¯t drag against the ground, but could fully cover the Magician who would be wearing the cloak¡­ yet there were no letters, symbols, or markings upon the cloak despite the open (and ignored) insistence made by the various council members who weren¡¯t smart enough to stay quite.


    Holding up the cloak in the light The Stitch Witch examined her work as Nadel felt a cold sweat break out as she recognized the cloak. It was dull and seemingly mundane¡­ but it had been woven out of something that had enraged The Stitch Witch as she kept it as a reminder of danger.


    Something that she had cursed someone who had foolishly tried to steal the cloak as the thief had begged for Agatha Willow¡¯s protection from¡­ the one curse that not even The Witch of The Hill could protect against.


    And she was giving it over to Kravos.


    ¡°Why?¡± Nadel found herself asking herself.


    To her surprise The Stitch Witch answered ¡°Because they think you are harmless. They believe the lie you play as you pretend to be something less than a threat. We need a reminder to know that you are dangerous no matter how ¡®nice¡¯ your smile may seem.¡±


    Kravos was handed the cloak as Nadel could hear one of the Council members asking why she said that. To them they hadn¡¯t heard Nadel¡¯s question¡­ but The Stitch Witch didn¡¯t care about them as she was answering Nadel¡¯s question.


    Agatha Willow¡¯s adopted son wasn¡¯t a threat to The Stitch Witch¡­ A bad joke perhaps, but nothing to be feared¡­ and yet she was openly admitting that Kravos Lynch The Magician of Red was something they needed to remember as a threat.


    Her throat felt dry as she walked over to the magician. There was no recognition in his eyes as he saw the scarf. There was no feeling in his gaze¡­ no¡­ understanding. Even Averia seemed a bit heart broken even as she knew the importance of the scarf.


    The cheap scarf Nadel had bought that never had a meaning. The one that had too much meaning from a childhood romance that never happened.


    She was so out of it that by the time they had left the house and entered the backyard she hadn¡¯t realized that he had been pouring items into the mixture until her charms flared.


    She hadn¡¯t paid too much attention to the sock he had tested into the mixture¡­ how the cloak was seemingly dunked and lifted from the mixture without a single drop dripping off it.


    How she handed him the scarf before remembering she needed to write down what the empty vials lying on the ground had been filled with... or how the oil-like surface that rested within the welded together gutter box filled her with unease. The sheer void of presence was perhaps the worst part.


    It felt like she was suffocating and trying to breathe only for her lungs to burn. That each pained gasp of air burned as her domain, her very presence seemed to flicker out within it¡­ like a single dying light before the void of night itself.


    A sheer anti-presence.


    Then to her shock the feeling went away causing her to gasp for air! Sweet air filled into her burning lungs like a drowning woman finally hitting the surface of the water to feel the air against her skin. Each cool gasp of air soothed the pain in her lungs as her vision slowly returned seeing a frightened Kravos standing before her.


    Her back was lying against the ground. Her mind struggled to remember what had happened¡­


    He held out his hand as no sound came out.


    She needed it.


    She needed¡­


    She clasped his hand and it burned yet she refused to let go. Her mind struggled to free itself from whatever had just happened as she could feel the old agreement of the Pact burning before she finally let go.


    She gasped for air one last time as sound seemed to return along with a burning pain in the back of her head¡­ yet for the life of her she couldn¡¯t understand why it felt like a good pain of all things?


    Memories held back rushed forward clashing against one another as Nadel struggled to make sense of her own thoughts and mind. Her body just simply held as it clung to him refusing to let go. The looks of confusion, the whispers¡­ none of it mattered.


    Only once she could calm the storm within her mind did she finally focus on what she was doing and that''s when her cheeks burned in embarrassment as Kravos was sitting down with her lying in his lap. He didn¡¯t seem to know what to do as she had an almost vice-like grip on his hand.


    Words were being spoken¡­ questions asked¡­ and then the silence was cut as The Stitch Witch spoke ¡°She placed an object tied to her domain within it. While it is better now, this mistake had nearly proven to be quite costly to her.¡±


    The Stitch Witch held the old scarf as it was the same old scarf she had worn¡­ but¡­ it felt different now. No it felt different now in more than one meaning. The old soft scarf rested around her neck as Kravos seemed slightly embarrassed now that he saw the NK inscribed on the side.


    How she rested against his side felt more like they had been dating¡­ that they had been used to sitting like this instead of two strangers being physically close while emotionally distant.


    More than that¡­ it was how he muttered ¡®Stupid Memory Curse.¡¯


    That made her both feel better and a little bit uneasy. The scarf felt far more protective than any charm or magical object that she owned as she could practically feel it as a part of her domain. In some ways she wasn¡¯t stronger¡­ but more¡­ protected if such a word could be applied.


    ¡°So what was it supposed to do?¡± Nadel asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.


    Kravos tried not to look at her as he replied ¡°Mr Knight. Could you try using that sword of yours to cut the sock? I want to make sure everything worked out?¡±


    The Damascus Knight frowned at being commanded to use his blade, yet he couldn¡¯t exactly refuse as that same sort of¡­ anti-presence still lingered. It sort of hung in the air as if threatening to make his presence lesser if he tried to refuse.


    So he grabbed a nearby axe and ran it across his fingers. She could feel Kravos tense up as he stared at the Damascus Knight utilizing his control over the domain of steel. How the axe looked far better than it had seconds ago¡­ as if it had been forged by a professional smith instead of a mass produced lump of steel.


    Then with one mighty swing he hurled the axe down upon the half-worn out sock with a hole at the bottom of the sock. They had expected almost anything to happen from the sock being embedded into the ground, stuck on the axe, or sliced clean in half.


    What they didn¡¯t expect was the almost metallic ¡®Tang¡¯ sound as the axe sounded as if it stuck metal. The look of disbelief from even the Damascus Knight as the axe was deflected by the sock as if he had hit a metal helmet instead of some woven cloth.


    He along with everyone else turned to stare at them in disbelief as The Stitch Witch simply stood in the background unsurprised by what had happened. The slow dread knowledge of some of the watchers glancing at The Stitch Witch wondering how she knew this would happen?


    Then in that all to unassuming way Kravos tried to play stupid ¡°Its magic.¡±


    It sounded so stupid as if he had no idea how magic actually worked¡­ yet she felt the cloth secure that it would protect her. That she could have that axe swing at her neck and the axe would have a better chance at breaking before her scarf would be cut.


    They continued asking questions one over another as Kravos tried his best to deflect¡­ to let them assume certain things while never actually admitting that they were right or wrong.


    She blinked wondering how she had never seen it before. How he carefully chose his words and lied out loud to The Council while pretending that it was costly. Pretending that it wasn¡¯t that special as he started suggesting things that might be able to harm it which she knew wouldn¡¯t work against it.


    More than that it¡­ it was just how he ignored The Council as he saw one of The Stitch Witch¡¯s puppets take the sock while everyone else was distracted. How he spoke while keeping his eyes on The Stitch Witch as she inspected the sock¡­ and checked it to her own creation.


    The sock didn¡¯t have a hole because it was worn out. He had made the hole for her.


    ¡°Why did she take it?¡± Nadel asked in mild fear.


    Kravos shook his head ¡°She was cashing in her favor today¡­ now I don¡¯t owe her anything.¡±


    Nadel glanced at the new red cloak ¡°Expect for the cloak.¡± He stared at her in disbelief ¡°It belongs to her.¡±


    It was at that moment she felt a small business card stick out of the scarf. Kravos pulled it out and examined it before muttering a small curse as the message simply read ¡®You wanted protection and you didn¡¯t grant me a gift when becoming the owner of the Hill. Consider the gift granted, yet the favor you owe has yet to be repaid.¡¯


    Nadel had to admit she had never seen such nice cursive writing¡­ or how there was a sudden realization and look of horror as he bitterly cursed ¡®Fae Trickery and nonsense¡¯ as she couldn¡¯t help, but laugh a little.


    Life was still complicated, her feelings were a bit messed up as Kravos kept doing new strange exotic things that made no sense¡­ and yet she felt secure in this bundle of insanity.


    Her family was right.


    These memories were dangerous.


    Even more so... because they were so hard to resist.


    <hr>


    Futurm sat inside the church basement as his fingers danced across the laptop keys. The house had too many people for his liking and far too many Fae lovers. While he was supposed to have safety due to rule of hospitality you couldn¡¯t trust¡¯em.


    He knew the stories all too well. Simple contracts twisted against its meaning. Taking a sip from the water given to you only to be bound in chains. Give a name and have your will stolen.


    With a click of his tongue the imp (he wasn¡¯t some imaginary gremlin) tapped the feeds he had installed into the house. The Boss had even helped him out set it all up as he knew the need for proper warning and information gathering.


    Yes ¡®Information gathering¡¯ because it isn¡¯t spying when the sightless crooks stole a room in your house to set up their meetings while kicking you out of your own home.


    Perfectly justifiable to spy on the lying little jailers as they talked about things while burning twisted contracts by a Heretic. It made his claws itch knowing that a place like this had a Heretic operating out in the freakin open for so long!


    The door popped open as the preacher stepped into the room. Not one of those annoying preachers who did the whole ¡®begone foul demon¡¯ bit while demanding coin to make their building fancier.


    No he was the Crusader type¡­ and Futurm meant it in both the best and worst terms.


    Tall blok, spoke with an ascent, and the moment he saw the imp could walk on ¡®holy ground¡¯ the tall preacher figured he wasn¡¯t a demon¡­ and then went to the preaching route. While he wasn¡¯t a fan of the preaching he couldn¡¯t say ¡®no¡¯ to a debate when the blok provided beer.


    The preacher placed the cold bottle of beer onto the end table ¡°Spying on the Council again?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t spyin if they ain¡¯t lyin.¡± The imp replied as he popped the cap off with a claw ¡°If they say they¡¯ll help, then you can expect their next line is ¡®I didn¡¯t say which side¡¯ when they toss you into the fire.¡±


    The preacher sat down and glanced at the camera feed while Futurm was busy working on the drones. He took another sip from his beer as their crazy nonsense magic was messing with his systems. Drones moving about without commands or showing ¡®personalities¡¯ from some twiddling words and fingers.


    What was it with humans always wanting to have ¡®personalities¡¯ in machines? Wasn¡¯t the whole point of having mindless machines to remove the whole bothersome ¡®salvery issue¡¯ especially when you made the machine to be disposable?


    Futurm wouldn¡¯t care as he had already been preparing them for their three jobs. Say what you want about Boss¡¯s penmanship skills, but he knew how to tinker and expand with the grace of the Eldritch.


    The Preacher pointed one of his butter stained fingers as one of the screens ¡°Told you they knew one another.¡±


    Now the imp frowned ¡°Lies and slander. Trust me preacher, if Boss had a dame back home we would have known about it.¡± He shoved his own hand into the bowl of popcorn and munched on it ¡°Closest he got was two hundred years ago. Nice dame, good legs, but made the mistake of picking a fight with Nicka¡¯li.¡±


    The Preacher raised an eyebrow ¡°Funny¡­ he doesn¡¯t look two hundred years old.¡±


    The imp chuckled at how naive these wizard folk were. They had books on Eldritch. They had a very popular blok who wrote a lot on Eldritch and yet not one of them decided to use their heads to check out the library?


    Even rough guesses were better than going clueless!


    ¡°Time travel and Para¡¯dax.¡± The imp replied ¡°Besides it¡¯s obviously fake¡­ he¡¯s trying to trick them while pretending he¡¯s fallen for¡¯em.¡± Or thats what his boss should be doing ¡°Besides its all illegal due to second law anyway.¡±


    The preacher glanced at the bible ¡°I suppose that is one stance on sex before marriage.¡±


    Unfortunately the imp had been taking a sip of his beer and now was trying to dislodge the cold ale from his lungs. For a human it might not be as bad, but that stuff burned when going up and down the wrong tubes!


    ¡°No!¡± The imp spat hitting his chest ¡°Free will theft and all that. Those aren¡¯t their memories! So that¡¯d be taken advantage of¡¯em and that¡¯s if the Fae dame hasn¡¯t been fixed of her whammy!¡±


    The preacher took a long sip of his beer ¡°You still think the Elf Lord brainwashed her into thinking he¡¯s her daughter?¡±


    The imp nodded his head ¡°Well he was hunting for heirs until sunrise.¡±


    Four pics. Two changed to different girls. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure it out.


    ¡°Avera Willow has messed with a lot of exotic types of magic.¡± The preacher admitted ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change what is going on between him and my daughter.¡±


    The imp glanced up at the bald russian man. Good blok, brought beer, and could actually admit he lost a debate. Seven out of ten on annoying crusaders I¡¯d deal with again.


    ¡°Still by your own admittance the magician of red still retains his original memories. My daughter has let him have his space while admitting that both of them have changed.¡± He spoke in a dignified tone only priests seem to be able to pull off ¡°If they choose to enter into a relationship it will be of their own free will.¡±


    Taking another sip he placed the beer down ¡°And memory serves he had the interest of three girls. So even with ¡®unwanted memories¡¯ it would still be by his own free will to choose who he dates.¡±


    The imp was left speechless as that was the problem between arguing with a crusader. Sometimes they said things that while you knew the right answer¡­ the answer they gave wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Only crusaders would end up meeting eldritch entities and immediately assume that ¡®God¡¯ had sent them to help teach these creatures about the holy bible¡­ and have some success against all reason.


    The preacher continued glancing at the screens while the imp worked to finish the uploading and modifying the old programs. There would be a lot more changes needed to adjust for the new clothing, but the great thing about paranoia is that it did most of the leg work needed when the enemy came knocking.


    Already he was running the drones through the programs as he checked to see how well they operated and much to his annoyance¡­ they were running a lot more smoothly than they had any right to be. There were always minor issues that needed to be adjusted, but the pseudo-intelligence granted to the drones seemed to be auto adjusting to compensate for these problems.


    ¡°I told you she was good.¡± The preacher spoke without a hint of shame.


    Futurm scowled as he started trying to gain access to the security cameras at the meeting place for tonight¡¯s little ¡®duel¡¯ which certainly wasn¡¯t going to be an ambush¡­ because you can trust evil people who kidnap other people to keep their word.


    The Preacher was a little bit distrubed at how easily he had barreled through their antique security system (seriously? Council_Rules) before taking a look at their very lacking security cameras.


    Lots of blind spots and empty hallways¡­ the building¡¯s wifi system was still working so he could stay here and use a piggyback program to operate the drones instead of having to get within range of vampire biting range.


    ¡°Still say we should be bringing sunlamps.¡± Futurm muttered watching the fanged freaks


    One vampire had tried looking cool only to brush up against a curtain before nearly catching on fire. His entire arm went up as if it had been soaked in kerosene or something! He was pretty sure that The Boss could tinker up some power source and unleash a good old burst of manufactured sunlight to incinerate them all.


    ¡°It is not bright lights or solar radiation.¡± The Preacher spoke in mild annoyance ¡°It is sunlight itself¡­ how the dawn banishes the dark and causes those to lurk in the dark to hide so that mortal life can continue without fear.¡±


    ¡°Until the lion gets hungry.¡± Futurm muttered ¡°I¡¯ve seen how many predator animals eat things out in daylight. Doesn¡¯t stop Mr Crocodile from trying to take your leg!¡±


    A bit of muttering with something along the lines of ¡®Strength in the face of the blind¡¯ or something. The Imp had already heard about the three blind men and the elephant tale about people being both right and wrong as they simply lacked the greater picture.


    He always hated that story.


    Still searching through the cameras the imp kind of found himself a bit disappointed. Yes it might have been racist¡­ or was it speciesist?


    He found the rather large lack of style to be annoying as Dracula could look intimidating, cool, frighting, and a whole host of various things¡­ what vampires should not look like a bunch of young Elvis Presley impersonators wearing black jackets.


    The type you saw in those stupid musical broadway plays. Seriously he half expected them to break out in song any minute now.


    ¡°So what¡¯s to stop them from ganging up and beating my Boss to death with badly tuned guitars and microphones?¡± Futurm asked as there were a lot of vampires and far too many blind spots in his cameras


    The Preacher coughed ¡°Politics, magic, and tradition¡­ as Heirs of the Hill if they demean themselves by trying to cheat a public established duel then there is a good chance they could lose their magic.¡±


    The imp rolled his eyes as you could buy magic if needed. Even if these dolts had some sort of bloodline system it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to hire a rent-a-thug to plow their car into the other contestant before they stepped out of the parking lot.


    The Preacher frowned ¡°Though if you must be skeptical it is because Agatha Willow made it tradition¡­ by violently killing anyone who interferes. This is a prideful woman who would take great offense at anyone who saw fit to challenge her authority.¡±


    ¡°Meaning the Hill¡¯s her along with the will on how to reclaim it.¡± The Imp spoke with a mild nod to his head ¡°Still doesn¡¯t change the details since the dames aren¡¯t her.¡±


    The Preacher took a long sip from his beer before placing it down ¡°If she did it thinking she couldn¡¯t win in a fair fight¡­ then what¡¯s to stop the other thirty three council members from thinking they could pull off the same trick?¡±


    Now the imp grinned as that he was familiar with. A little bread and circus to establish rule was a lot easier than making everyone else who hated you think that it would be easy to slit your throat.


    Finally one of the cameras found their target as it was the only dame in the room. Odd one at that as she wore a black cocktail dress and looked completely at ease in her surroundings. The other dame on the other hand¡­


    Futurm started tapping keys before he found the matching picture ¡°Preacher¡­ Averia is supposed to be Agatha¡¯s daughter right?¡±


    The preacher nodded as he saw the picture ¡°Apparently she does exist.¡±


    A woman in a green dress tapped her foot impaitly. The dress had been stained with blood and dirt despite the attempts to wash it away. In her hand was a rather impractical looking knife, but the look in her eyes would make you think twice about saying it to her face.


    The woman in the green dress matched the description of ¡®Crazy Knife Girl¡¯ which his boss had told him about.


    The preacher took one long sip from his beer before replying in an all too smug tone ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like brainwashing¡­ unless she can be in two different places with two different bodies.¡±


    ¡°Grace of the Spire¡­¡± Futurm muttered under his breath ¡°Why can¡¯t you folks keep anything simple?¡±


    The Preacher¡¯s smile fell as he looked a lot less smug ¡°Because that is Agatha Willow¡­ apparently she found a new body.¡±


    It was then the woman in the black cocktail dress lifted up a cardboard sign that read ¡°Yes you creepy little gremlin. I will kill anyone who tries to interfere even if they are my own men. Do not insult my name or craft again.¡±


    It was then at that exact moment the camera feeds died.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need another beer.¡± The imp muttered

 Ch12

    The red cloak rested on my lap as one of those artist drawing boards was trying to stay on top of it as I did my best to finish applying the last bits of ink to my oversized pain in the butt prop. Everyone in ¡®Nonsense Town¡¯ walked around with staff and this overly stupidly large stick was needed to help blend in.


    Maybe it was oak or it could have been basic cheap timber for all I knew or cared as the staff was worthless¡­ quite literally worthless as the last touches of ink upon the stupid thing was a ¡®One and done¡¯ shot spell.


    Nothing grand or magical like unleashing a torrential downpour of biblical fire or unleashing a frozen torrent of ice and wind that would shatter a man¡¯s soul¡­ That was fairy tail magic.


    I was a magician so my one shot spell was a lot smaller and far less grand. So the large overgrown piece of cut wood was to hide the smaller specifically cut piece of wood that could be pulled out revealing a rather sharp point piece of wood.


    I know. Such an arcane work of art! Hiding a smaller pointy stick or ¡®stake¡¯ inside a wooden Staff? Who could have thought of such a thing? Who would have thought I¡¯d waste ink to inscribe a bit of work to ensure that the stupid piece of wood didn¡¯t break when it hit a rib cage.


    You know why people in horror movies used a hammer and stake to kill a vampire? It was because bones were durable and made it exceptionally hard to shove a piece of wood into a vital organ!


    ¡°Let me get this straight.¡± Averia spoke, holding up her hands ¡°You know a spell that can turn that piece of wood as sharp as any sword¡­ and yet you don¡¯t carry a magical sword?¡±


    I pinched the bridge of my nose ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that, but yes¡­ a bit of reinforcement and some minor alterations from a sword I had once acquired¡­ but it¡¯s freakin ''worthless.¡±


    I had a sharp piece of wood that would punch through a lot of stuff¡­ but it was a stupid piece of wood. That meant short range and the ink could have been spent in making wands (flamethrower variety) or a bit of extra protection for my clothing¡­ or a new frying pan!


    The overgrown toothpick could be set on fire, snapped in half, get lodged in a ribcage! Besides vampires were supposed to be stronger, faster, and have better hand eye coordination than an average human being¡­ in what way was getting into close combat a good idea!


    You might as well give someone a choice between a mundane shotgun or a magical singing sword of destiny¡­ and tell them they had to face a bear with it! Most people would take the shotgun. The skeptics would only hesitate to ask if the gun came with ammo.


    I had lots of garlic, a silver cross, a few vials of ¡®holy water¡¯ acquired by an imp who got it from a priest¡­ not sure if that affected the results or anything. Point was that vampires operated on a wild paradox of supernaturally deadly and easily killable.


    Seriously, it felt like one of those Min-Max RPG gamers was allowed to make themselves into a supernatural powerhouse¡­ and then tried loading up with as many obscure ¡®weaknesses¡¯ in the hope that the GM would never use them in exchange for their absurd supernatural bonuses.


    Crosses, holy water, moving water, garlic, roses on their coffins¡­ seriously the sheer list of weakness made me wonder if half of them were faked or if they ended up pissing off some vindictive Fae Lord who just start throwing as many or really any curse that came to mind because the pale skinned freaks stiffed the Fae on some important battle.


    So now I had half a dozen random ¡®anit-vampire¡¯ junk dangling off of me while making one last bit to ensure that the vampiric swarm doesn¡¯t overwhelm me before whoever was supposed to try to kill me for this duel took their shot.


    ¡°Why not just¡­ enchant a knife or better yet a sword?¡± Averia asked as if somehow that was a better plan. ¡°If you need a good one then I can get you one easily.¡±


    I held up the overgrown toothpick ¡°Wood beats vampires. Lead beats humans. Sadly I lack the people and time to build an automatic gatling crossbow that fires wooden stakes.¡±


    ¡°It is the domain of life that interferes with the vampire¡¯s abilities which are tied into the domain of death.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke from the driver¡¯s passenger seat ¡°Wood grows. Plants renew. A cut flower will still persist if given water.¡±


    I glanced up as Mr Knight had finally rolled down the window as the dark bald man scoffed ¡°Blood is their power. It would be far easier to slit their stomachs to drain them of their power than to aim a chunk of wood at their heart.¡±


    ¡°Okay maybe a knife would be better.¡± I admitted out loud ¡°But running low on supplies and this thing should be good enough to pierce the rib cage.¡±


    ¡°And if it isn¡¯t?¡± Mr Knight chidded me.


    I rolled my eyes ¡°Then I lit the charge and stand far away from the pointy end as we get an unstable charged magical reaction¡­¡± There were a couple of stares as I forgot that they didn¡¯t understand ¡®my magic¡¯ much to my annoyance. ¡°It''s going to make either a long burst of flames or a horrific explosion shredding everything in front of it.¡±


    Now there were a few looks of surprise and mild horror as Mr Knight practically slammed the breaks realizing I was practically holding a lit stick of Nitroglycerin inside the Limo. There was a bit of argument from all around ranging from ¡®throw it out the window¡¯ to ¡®why would you make something like that?¡¯ as if I was insane for bringing explosives!


    First of all my ¡®magic¡¯ isn¡¯t a toy and as it follows certain rules of physics and reality. The second thing is that I would be bringing actual explosives if I could buy any¡­ and it was not ¡®insane¡¯ to carry any and every weapon available when you know you are walking into a freaking ambush!


    ¡°Relax, it''s not charged yet.¡± I tried to explain mostly to ease their worries ¡°I need to finish setting the ink and it isn¡¯t any different from the other half dozen wands on me.¡±


    All eyes fell on me again as they noticed the seven collapsible batons on me. Grant it not all of them were on a full charge and two of them would serve better as improvised explosives than firing off one or two rounds¡­ but I was low on supplies and blasting them was a lot more cost efficient than re-inking them.


    ¡°What¡­ exactly are you preparing for?¡± Averia asked as I applied another coat of garlic juice on my neck ¡°I mean¡­ you know this is going to be a duel right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I replied once again as I didn¡¯t know why they weren¡¯t armed to the teeth ¡°This isn¡¯t the first duel I¡¯ve been challenged to. I know the drill.¡±


    It was always the same as on the surface it was supposed to be between two people¡­ a way to solve a conflict or dispute with minimal losses on both sides so that everyone could see how ¡®just¡¯ and ¡®fair¡¯ both parties were.


    ¡°Before we get there they will try to kill us. Before we even meet the other Heir a hired third party will try to murder us before we even get there.¡± I replied in a dull tone ¡°If we get lucky enough to arrive it will be an ambush of every single damn vampire attacking us if we are lucky. If we aren¡¯t then the place will lock down with a death trap while they try to kill us if we escape the murder attempt.¡±


    Now they all looked at me as if I was insane. Seriously the only ¡®rule¡¯ about these duels was if both parties got to the ¡®real spot¡¯ where the duel would take place then maybe you would have some semblance of rules taking place.


    Of course by then you¡¯d be low on supplies and your opponent would be ready for half of your tricks with the firm understanding that they needed to murder you right away. No fan fair or grandiose speeches. Just straight up murder with maybe a double tap to the head just to be safe.


    There was an awkward cough as Mr Hawking looked slightly embarrassed ¡°No¡­ a duel as in two people fighting one another. In fact doing¡­ that would actually be detrimental to them.¡±


    I stared at him as if he was an idiot¡­ maybe there was some super silly Fae nonsense that prevented it from working. Like a death pact to ensure that if one party died then the other party died shortly afterwards?


    ¡°It¡¯s presence.¡± Averia spoke up, sounding a little bit unnerved ¡°Having you attacked, weakened, or killed before a duel would weaken their stance.¡±


    I looked at the half-elf girl ¡°But I would be dead and everyone else would forget about it after a month or two.¡±


    ¡°What kind of messed up place did he come from that duels aren¡¯t honored?¡± Mr Knight harshly whispered to Mr Hawking


    ¡°One where you can trust somebody¡¯s word if they make a Pact.¡± I snapped back ¡°You shake and know the other person isn¡¯t going to pull out some loophole or clever wordplay to sneak out of it like a rat!¡±


    There was a bit of muttering and general confusion as they tried to weigh the merits of dueling with crooked contracts vs acting like normal people with good contracts. The fact the internal debate took so long to be made said less about this place then I would have liked.


    Finally Averia broke the mutters and spoke out loud ¡°The thing about us?¡± She placed a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Most of our ¡®society¡¯ is that we live in secrecy, hiding magic, and all that other stuff¡­ but when it comes to revealing ourselves? We try to be as big, loud, and boisterous as possible. It is why most of us shout our attacks as it makes our magic literally stronger.¡±


    I nodded my head as this was important. If my opponents would shout their attacks then it would give something to work off of¡­ even if ¡®die¡¯ and ¡®explosion¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be easy things to easily doge or counter.


    Averia nodded her head happy I wasn¡¯t arguing back ¡°Duels? They can be tricky, complicated, convoluted, and so much more¡­ but it is our chance to shine, go full ham¡­ to show off and make our presence known to all who are watching.¡±


    There was a sparkle in her eyes in much the same way a sports fan would take about a team ¡°It''s almost unthinkable to¡­ cheat it. A bit more likely that things will end up badly as all those watching will not be happy if someone fails to show up¡­ much less if they had been murdered or crippled beforehand.¡±


    The last bit was spoken with an almost malevolent tone as everyone else nodded their heads that marked it as both a cultural thing¡­ and one of those tiny cultural taboos you just didn¡¯t break if you wanted to have a long life.


    The vehicle slowed down as my phone began to buzz. One check at the number and I recognized that Futurm was calling me¡­ which probably meant it was important.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I asked


    ¡°Boss¡­ not sure what¡¯s going on, but the cameras are acting a bit¡­ funny.¡± The imp replied ¡°Could be their ¡®magic¡¯ making a mess of perfectly good codding.¡±


    I nodded my head ¡°If anything happens¡­ go with plan C.¡±


    The car started to slow down as past experiences made me wonder if ¡®cell phone jammers¡¯ were being set up to prevent anyone from calling for help. After all¡­ it¡¯s not ¡®illegal¡¯ if nobody reports it.


    The building came into view as it was one of those¡­ not sure if it was a community hall or a government building. It had that dull business feeling where you could walk in and expect to see large empty hallways and rooms that could be filled with chairs to hear a single individual lecture to a bunch of grown adults who clearly didn¡¯t want to be there.


    People only came because it was required and once it was done they tried leaving as quickly as possible¡­ perfect place since nobody would want to be here after business hours.


    Well¡­ except for the kidnappers at least. As the sun had already set leaving the place lit up by electric lamp. The welcoming committee could now be seen just lingering around the building like a pack of piranhas waiting for the fat cow to take a small dip in the river.


    Though to be fair piranhas sounded intimidating as these people looked to be dressed like failed Broadway actors for a musical rendition of the play ¡®Grease¡¯... or really any play with gangs who spent more time twirling and dancing then threatening and mugging.


    I stared at the greased hair vampires as I just had to ask ¡°Are they dressed that way to make people drive away as they groan¡­ or do they dress that way on purpose?¡±


    Mr Knight let out a harsh ¡®cough¡¯ that suppeciously sounded like laughter ¡°The perks of Undeath is the extension of one¡¯s lifespan¡­ but usually at the cost of stagnation. They are frozen as who they were before the change¡­ the ones you should fear are those who can adapt to modern society. For they can change and learn thus overcoming the flaw of undeath.¡±


    The car stopped as the vampire swarm had practically surrounded the car like an old street gang. All that was missing was the snapping of the fingers as their leader in the only unbutton black jacket walked up showing a wide smile revealing his fangs in an attempt to intimidate us¡­


    As if vampires were something ¡®new¡¯ and never been seen before.


    I took a deep breath and opened the door preparing for the all too common ¡®sudden betrayal¡¯ before all of the vampires suddenly jumped back. Any doubts of their supernatural origins were put away when you saw them leap back and land on the roof of the building or flag poles.


    They glared at me in anger as my ¡®garlic aura¡¯ apparently didn¡¯t agree with them¡­ or the silver cross, roses, garlic bulbs, and various other ¡®anti-vampire¡¯ stuff dangling underneath my red cloak.


    One of the vampires who had worked up the courage to stand a couple of feet away from me spoke in a hissed almost feral tone ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±


    I glanced at the vampire and was mildly disappointed ¡°Being sent here because your group kidnapped a family. Is it my fault that the value of your trust is a bit sketchy?¡±


    They really took offense to that statement as the others behind me looked at me as if I was insane. There was supposed to be a show, some sort of display and ¡®talk¡¯ before they tried to kill me.


    I threw up my hands ¡°Seriously! I¡¯ve had plenty of people trying to kill me and generally speaking. Those who resort to kidnapping children can rarely be trusted? Can we see the kidnaped family or did you dump them in the basement to be fed upon during the mid-game shows? Some grand excuse about not having to give them up until after you won?¡±


    It was a stupid thing to do, but things would be far easier if they just showed us where they were so that the hostages could be escorted out of here. While they may have some love of a death match being played right before their eyes¡­ I played to win.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Having spectators kind of limited my options¡­ especially if I cared if they survived.


    The sound of footsteps could be heard as a female voice spoke ¡°My¡­ I didn¡¯t expect this reaction to the challenge.¡±


    A pale skinned woman in a black cocktail dress walked out of the building completely with long black dark hair. It was probably a safe bet to say that this was one of the welcoming committee¡­


    My hand reached for my revolver and pulled it out. Three shots rang out as I didn¡¯t even think as I just tried emptying every single clip into the person¡¯s body. I could hear shouts, but not a single one mattered until I heard my gun failed to fire on the fourth shot.


    The vampire who had been in front of me was now bleeding as each round had hit his stomach. Meanwhile my revolver continued to click despite there being perfectly good bullets to shoot with!


    The vampire glanced behind him and whimpered ¡°Why?¡±


    The woman spoke with a hint of what she thought was a sophisticated voice ¡°Because you decided to take a sip and harmed my credibility.¡±


    There was a crack as the vampire fell as legs weren¡¯t supposed to bend that way yet the strange woman who I wanted to shoot just walked on the vampire as she shook her head not because she was offended at having been shot at, but due to the implied insult of her credibility having been damaged.


    She wore a smile that might have been seen as ¡®charming¡¯ if not for her recent actions. It was the kind of smile that came from someone who enjoyed watching other people suffer as her shoes dug into the vampire back just for her enjoyment.


    ¡°What manner of weapon is that? The first three shots were mundane to be sure, but I¡¯d hate for my dress to be ruined by that fourth one.¡± I tried swapping out the rounds as the witch continued ¡°Anti-combustion spells my dear Kravos¡­ never leave home without them.¡±


    I coughed as that took out a few options from my playbook. There were probably limits or counters¡­ but that implied I had time to figure them out.


    The woman glanced at the others who stared at her with unease. My brain tried to figure out who this person was, how to kill her, and why the urge to kill her had come so strongly!


    ¡°And who are you?¡± I asked trying to lower the revolver


    She smiled ¡°Why I¡¯m one of the Heirs of the Hill.¡±


    A bitter chuckle escaped my throat ¡°Nope. You are not in any of the pictures as I¡¯m sure I would have spotted someone with black hair¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what happened, but one moment the woman was standing on top of a vampire and wiping her feet on his back as if he was a rug¡­ the next moment she was right in front of me and holding my right eye open with her hand.


    There was a look of utter fascination in her eyes as I backed away only for two vampires to hold me. The dark black eyes stared into my own ¡°How did you get these eyes! If you get me a pair I¡¯d offer my hand in marriage to you and you could do far worse than being married to the Heir who owns the Witch¡¯s Hill.¡±


    I managed to grab the hands that were trying to hold me as the vampires hissed in pain as what could be best described as an instant allergic reaction spread across their wrists and arms as they easily broke out of my grasp leaving me alone with the creepy woman.


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I quickly replied ¡°Already having people to kill me for the stupid hill.¡±


    She blinked in confusion ¡°No¡­ Averia Willow has the hill as the heirs of the hill are female.¡±


    Mr Hawking cleared his throat ¡°No¡­ Kravos Lynch owns the hill as it is now the Magician¡¯s Hill.¡±


    The strange woman looked at me before grabbing below the belt as I knocked her hand away from it before she got any ideas. There was a wide grin at her having handled me like that before it slowly turned to confusion.


    ¡°No¡­¡± She spoke with a shake of her head ¡°How can he be the heir? There are five female heirs. Five of them.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not one of them.¡± I spoke, readjusting my clothing and resist the urge to use a flamethrower wand ¡°So who are you?¡±


    There was a look of disbelief on her face before she took one good long look at me. It was then I felt the creeping presence across my back as I pulled out my phone and tried to take a picture of her¡­ and the camera lens showed me a red-haired freckled woman instead of the dark haired one.


    ¡°Second Law¡­¡± I muttered as I understood, ¡°You stole her body, you old hag.¡±


    ¡°I am not old¡­¡± The creature hissed as a look of anger was etched across her face.


    I put away my revolver and tried to figure out how this trick worked. Killing her wouldn¡¯t mean anything if she could steal another body. There were plenty of bodies here if we had some sort of soul snatching body hijacker flying about.


    ¡°And daughters?¡± I let out a bitter chuckle ¡°I clearly remember you telling me about your lackluster love life. How did it go again¡­ that someone like her can fall in love, out of love, and in love again while someone like us can never even get up to¡­¡±


    She pulled out a wand as you do not mess with people who wield a stick crackling with a dark sickly energy that sparked like wild cattle prod¡­ and I would rather be hit by one of those things than see what this thing would do to my body.


    Still while I had struck a nerve there was one thing I could confirm¡­ she knew. She stared at me with a new hint of unease, probably wondering how I still remembered that night.


    ¡°Kravos¡­¡± A voice spoke up from the peanut gallery ¡°No offense¡­ but what exactly is going on here?¡±


    We both turned towards the peanut gallery as Mr Knight was pulling out his armor as the vampires now stood ready to attack. Mr Hawkings looked caught between pulling out his staff to fight and playing diplomat while the girls¡­


    Averia looked uneasy as she glanced into the building at something while Nadel looked at me trying to figure out what was going on. How much did they know and more importantly How was the old witch still alive?


    I glanced back at her wishing I took a sample of the corpse¡¯s blood¡­ or checked it for any esoteric items or¡­ something.


    ¡°Ah¡­ the lost traveler.¡± Agatha spoke taking a few steps back ¡°Not worried about growing old, single, and dying a virgin?¡±


    Something clicked as I remembered the old conversation ¡°Too late for that. Reality already showed me that the cards just weren¡¯t in it for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah but are the cards in your favor now?¡± She practically whispered with a wide grin ¡°So tell you what¡­ how about we bargain instead of fight?¡±


    I shook my head as I started loading the more esoteric bullets into my gun ¡°Okay? What¡¯s with your body snatching trick? I generally don¡¯t study stuff across from the Eldritch Line, but if you have a shiny green pendant please tell me so that I can avoid ¡®hitting it¡¯ when we duel.¡±


    The woman let out a hearty cackle ¡°My dear boy¡­ Let''s up the stakes then shall we? You win, I''ll let you in on the secret. I win¡­ your mine.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I replied as each round had been reloaded ¡°It¡¯s hard to get answers from a corpse and necromancy is out of my skill set.¡±


    It may have felt stupid, but the funny thing about The Spire¡­ The lost city and all of its various names people went and called it by¡­ Anyone who started picking up the ability to use and call upon Pacts were in fact bound by them a little bit.


    It wasn¡¯t as if I was under some sort of compulsion¡­ well other than the general sense of paranoia you naturally get when you realize something might try to scramble your brains or turn your body into a living puppet while you were still alive.


    The Pact merely extended that sense to let you know of people who broke the Second Law even if you didn¡¯t know¡­ and Kornea kind of operates on a ¡®Shoot First. Ask questions while reloading¡¯ mindset.


    ¡°Ah, but you forgot one thing.¡± She spoke in an idle tone ¡°You are challenging me. It isn¡¯t my fault you picked this place for the duel as I get to pick the weapon of the duel.¡±


    My blood froze as I looked at Mr Hawkings in disbelief as he replied ¡°In exchange for the hostages.¡±


    With a snap of her fingers an actual regal looking vampire stepped up to the plate. This one had that transylvanian knight of murder appeal. Pale skin, beard and mustache that could pass as regal nobility and evil villain facial hair.


    You would be easy to think he was a noble who spent more time counting coppers in his coffins than slaughtering random peasants with his swords¡­ but this was the modern age and somehow I doubt guns were going to be called upon for this duel.


    Agatha Willow smiled ¡°My second shall fight as I choose a battle of strength.¡±


    It felt like unseen chains tore into my equipment as against all reason my more esoteric equipment stopped working. My gun seemed stuck, unable to pull the trigger as I checked my wands to find out that they for some odd reason stopped working.


    The cold hearted witch continued wearing a gloating smile as she spoke ¡°Nothing shall work except blade and might. No magic to weave, no gun to shoot, or curse to enact. Just blade and what wit you carry.¡±


    The vampire made a mocking bow towards me ¡°Do not take offense if I may ask for what words shall be etched upon your gravestone. I was picked to deal with the elf girl after all¡­¡±


    Arrogant, prideful, and probably thought it would be easy to kill me since I was lacking most of my tools. I glanced at my oversized wooden prop and tried to figure out if that bit of magic was still working or not.


    Putting away my gun and grabbing a jar full of garlic juice. I poured it all over my head much to the disgruntled annoyance of the vampire who looked as if I had just grabbed a perfectly fine steak and washed it in dirty water before drying it with a flea infested dog.


    I shook some of the dripping juice out of my hair and gave my best ¡®I totally am not scared no matter what my legs say¡¯ smile ¡°He was never here and the grave is empty.¡±


    The vampire actually paused as he blinked in confusion ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    I shrugged ¡°I have plenty of people trying to kill me. Why should I let them take it easy after I die? You can even leave a shovel by the grave if you want.¡±


    Legal formalities out of the way I held up my oversized toothpick and made sure I had a good grip on the concealed weapon part of the Staff. My best attempt was to hold it up trying to ¡®block¡¯ whatever strike was going to cut through it as the vampire laughed.


    ¡°Good words.¡± He spoke in good humor ¡°I will even etch them into the stone myself.¡±


    Then the vampire just lept towards me and it wasn¡¯t a slow graceful leap like an expert duelist¡­ but one of those absurdly fast leaps that you saw only wild animals do. The ¡®blink and you¡¯ll die screaming¡¯ leaps as the first sword cut clean through the staff before his free hand grabbed the back of my cloak and shoved my neck into his face.


    Pain shot through my neck as a pair of sharp teeth plunged themselves into my neck. I could feel something trying to inject itself into my system, but potions, antidotes, and semi-legal drugs had already been pumped into my systems leaving me wide, awake, and screaming in pain.


    I saw the vampire¡¯s eyes dilate as if he was high as my hand held the piece of wood tightly before tearing off the casing and shoving the piece of wood through his heart. Magical enchanted wood sheared through flesh, bone and metal as I shanked the vampire repeatedly in the back.


    There was no grace, no rhyme, or logic. Just a blood thirsty vampire trying to drain me dry as I kept stabbing the blood beast until it died!


    The corpse fell limp before turning to ash as I grabbed one of the various health potions before pouring it on my neck which screamed in pain as if I had dumped rubbing alcohol over an open wound. There was a look of confusion as the peanut gallery was surprised by the quick brutality of the kill yet the slightly crazed psychotic grin was clear for all to see.


    ¡°You killed him.¡± Snarled one of the vampires ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that!¡±


    ¡°I have fled from things worse than you.¡± I spoke in a pained snarl as they rose up ¡°Cursed I maybe, but this coward has yet to flee!¡±


    There was a panicked shout. A cry of outrage as my vision started to blur, yet I did not care. The blackened ash around me was stained with far too much of my blood as I could feel the chains falling off. With a twist of my gloves my bloody mess danced around me as a good magician doesn¡¯t carry one set of tricks¡­ he carries many.


    There was no chant, spell or twist of words as my magic danced across the air. There are many tricks one can learn within Kornea, but the simplest ones are generally the best.


    Especially when you could search online where a fight was taking place and wait laid underneath.


    Water tore through the ground as it snapped wildly around me trapped in the circle as it continued drawing in water. The myth about ¡®moving water¡¯ apparently was true. Instead of a swarm of vampires tearing me apart¡­ It was as if I was stuck in a sandstorm made out of ash.


    The water continued to snap around me as the vampire swarm finally stopped allowing me a clear shot at the witch. Pulling out the second wand used for this trick while Agatha Willow held up her wand and said something before...


    <hr>


    ¡°What do you think you are doing¡­¡± A voice spoke.


    The water was gone. The area around me had changed as the sudden loss of a good amount of my blood kicked in as all of those lovely endorphins and adrenaline suddenly seemed to leave my body as horrible pain set in.


    I coughed up blood and collapsed onto the ground as my broken staff clattered against the hard pavement, possibly breaking my nose. Yet it didn¡¯t matter as blood loss kicked in. The various drugs that kept me awake during the vampire attack were now tearing at my insides as my senses began to waver.


    There was a panicked cry of confusion, cursing, and lots of swearing as I nearly blacked out.


    A pair of hands grabbed me while shoving something into my mouth practically trying to drown me with the wretched liquid as my body felt like it was going to twist and convulse. Bits of broken glass and broken vials danced across the ground as somebody was tearing off my clothing while cursing.


    I looked at the large painful bruises as¡­ yep¡­ I think the vampire tried breaking my ribs in his attempt to kill me before Sir Stabby Ton found his heart, kidneys and lungs.


    Someone held me up as they moved the bottle away from my mouth as I hacked up some of the liquid. My vision was still a bit blurry, but I think the one holding me was the half-elf girl.


    I could remember how she used to joke at my lack of skill with a sword. As if I needed a magical blade to shank a vampire!


    ¡®Oh no¡­ not memories are bad memories¡¯ I had to remind myself. ``The luck of Parker had yet to make itself known as now the responsibility will kick you in the shins.¡±


    As if by luck and twisted fate Agatha Willow spoke ¡°Ah Averia Willow. So it is you who have chosen to challenge me¡­¡±


    I held up the one finger salute and shouted ¡°I¡¯m not dead you old hag!¡±


    There was a long pause as everyone stared at me in disbelief as my mind struggled to remember the important thing about duels¡­ no not the ¡®fighting fair¡¯ bit, but the all more important bit.


    People cheat. If you won? Then they would still try to cheat until the final judgement call had been made¡­ and when your life was on the line you didn¡¯t want the judge to declare you as the loser regardless of your injuries.


    I waved Mr Sir Stabby Ton in the air and shouted ¡°Still alive! Still alive and going to murder you next!¡±


    Attempts to stand failed horribly as the half-elf girl tried to keep me lying down as I more or less leaned up against her to try to stand. The stick in my hand had already killed one vampire. The torrent of water took out a few more.


    I could probably squeeze a high yield explosion out of what was left if I could hold it up right¡­


    Sir Ashy the vampire stood beside the witch as my brain struggled to figure out why reality had decided to cheat. After all¡­ he was dead. You kind of notice those things when you were being nearly killed by someone before violently stabbing the person to death when they were trying to rip out your throat.


    Ashy the vampire stared at me in confusion ¡°Who dared damage our word and assaulted one of the guests?¡±


    The vampires backed away as there were far too many vampires around¡­ far too many living vampires who hadn¡¯t been turned to ash and dust just¡­ standing there as if they hadn¡¯t been violently murdered.


    ¡°You did.¡± I spoke waving at my ash covered robes ¡°And them, and him, and that one over there.¡±


    Them, him, and that one all looked at one another in open fear before taking cover behind anything large and sturdy. Ashy on the other hand pointed a finger at himself as if he hadn¡¯t been trying to suck me dry as I shanked him to death with a pointed stick.


    ¡°Yes, a vampire probably attacked you.¡± Averia spoke mildly concerned as a hint of venom filled her voice ¡°Right on the grounds before a duel, but if he was the one who did it¡­ then wouldn¡¯t he be dead?¡±


    I slowly nodded my head ¡°Never stopped everyone else who had tried to kill me. That''s why you double tap the head!¡±


    There were a few concerned looks from the vampires as Mr Ashey coughed into his hand ¡°Perhaps¡­ blood loss is affecting his memory.¡±


    ¡°I already shanked you once with Mr Stabby Ton and I¡¯ll do it again!¡± I shouted before my mind caught up to my mouth.


    The first rule of surviving as long as I have is to let your opponents underestimate you. It was the reason why I could murder Ashy¡­ because he didn¡¯t think I was a big enough threat ot hack my head off and then drain my body dry.


    It was because he thought it would be easy and thus within prime back stabbing range!


    Letting him correct that mistake for round two removed surprised stabbing attempts and loss of blood was really hampering my thinking process. Not even sure if there is enough blood to repeat the first round of stabbing again.


    Agatha Willow cleared her throat ¡°Who exactly is he?¡±


    ¡°Kravos Lynch, Ms Rose¡­¡± Mr Hawkings spoke in mild embarrassment ¡°The current owner of the Magician¡¯s Hill. Please excuse the lack of manners due to the sudden assault he received upon your property.¡±


    There was a bit of anger in his voice as everyone seemed angry at the whole ¡®duel¡¯ that apparently nobody could remember. The vampires glanced at the old body snatching hag who looked clearly displeased at her underlings for having failed to kill me the first time.


    My own mind struggled to figure out what exactly happened in order to counter it in the future! Apparently my ¡®victory¡¯ against Mr Ashy was null and void¡­ and I had lost a few supplies while they lost nothing.


    Blood was still dripping from my neck as suddenly all the vampire gazed at me with emerald green eyes as they licked their lips as a raw hunger filled their gaze.


    Steel being pulled against a sheath made them all look at the fully armored knight who spoke in a direct tone ¡°First vampire to try will taste damascus steel.¡±


    ¡°But only if you get them first.¡± Agatha Willow spoke in an icy tone ¡°They are my guests and no one shall go against my word will they?¡±


    The vampire closed their mouths while staring at the blood dripping to the ground. Averia struggled to grab a cloth to stop the bleeding at my neck as whatever Mr Ashy did made it bleed even after applying something to stop the bleeding.


    All of them stood around me holding their weapons as I was escorted into the building as the vampires practically pounced onto the pool of blood hissing in pain from the heavy dose of garlic¡­ or being torn away from it before Ashy flung them aside.


    They all hissed before he pulled out his blades ¡°Do not lick off the ground like hounds.¡± He spoke in a disgruntled tone ¡°Use tools like civilized creatures.¡±


    He pulled out some sort of glass turkey baster and placed it against the pool of blood and sea of ash. All of it was sucked into the thing by magic before he slowly poured it into his mouth.


    I saw smoke coming off of his tongue as it was burning his mouth yet there was the same drug fueled bliss that kept him drinking the tainted black blood regardless of the acidic burning of his mouth that caused my ¡®bodyguards¡¯ to stop as they watched in muted horror and disbelief.


    The vampire let out a long hearty sigh a normal person would give after a hearty meal as he stared at me ¡°That¡­¡± He licked the end of the glass baster before tossing it behind him leaving the other vampires to fight over what little remained within it ¡°I would certainly remember tasting a vintage that refined.¡±


    ¡°Kravos¡­¡± Nadel spoke in a hissed horrified tone ¡°Why do they look¡­ sedated.¡±


    ¡°Sedated?¡± I asked in mild horror ¡°They were trying to¡­¡±


    ¡°Vampires drink every last drop.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke, feeling the eyes of the vampires upon me ¡°They don¡¯t stop muchless share.¡± He glanced at the black stained cloth ¡°And why are you bleeding black?¡±


    I bit my lip, feeling my heart trying to make up for the lack of blood¡­ and tried not to curse underneath my breath as I said ¡°Because when supplies are low¡­ you need to get creative.¡±


    I stared at Agatha Willow who continued motioning us to move forward. The witch who had cheated as the loss she faced nobody could remember now. The loss from sending her pet vampire to beat me senseless after restricting me to fighting it in melee.


    This is why you couldn¡¯t trust ¡®honor duels¡¯ and other such nonsense people.


    Because when it became a choice between winning and possibly losing... People cheated every freaking time.


    It¡¯s only illegal if they get caught¡­


    And only if you are still alive to complain about it.

 Ch13

    I was allowed to take a small break to the public restrooms as apparently it was ¡®bad taste¡¯ to leave someone who was sent to duel¡­ to be covered in dust, grim, ash, and nearly puking due to the odd habit of human biology preferring to have more blood than chemicals and stimulants within your body.


    So I was ¡®blessed¡¯ to take a short break and empty my stomach inside of a nearby toilet instead of on the floor¡­ because according to everyone else¡­ watching someone take one step on the property and looking healthy¡­ only to suddenly turn into a bleeding, coughing, crippled mess before an openly rigged duel¡­ was considered ¡®impolite¡¯.


    Yes¡­ the exact words were ¡®impolite¡¯ as if sudden and very obvious cheating held the same level of courtesy as¡­ tripping on a sidewalk or getting your sunday¡¯s best wet in the rain.


    ¡°At least with Kornea they were upfront about it.¡± I muttered in mild annoyance ¡°Blatant cheating of course, but people would acknowledge blatant cheating¡­ especially your allies.¡±


    That was probably the bit that annoyed me the most. This city ran of Fae Rules and Logic. There was obvious twisting of words and meanings to the point that you needed an almanac to look over every possible meaning of a word in order to ensure that the other party wouldn¡¯t cheat you.


    Saying they wouldn¡¯t lay a hand on you only prevented them from touching you with their hands. Saying that nobody remembered was because they all had their memories wiped away. Saying that you would be safe until sunrise would have them either turn you into a literal safe¡­ or stuff you inside one regardless of how many bones the process broke.


    ¡°No wonder the Eldritch seem to have a grudge against them.¡± I muttered trying to take another shot of something that was supposed to help heal me ¡°If I knew it would have been this blatant I would have tried bringing a bomb with a deadman¡¯s switch.


    Yes it wouldn¡¯t activate until I was dead and thus killing everyone else if I died¡­ but that felt like it would be in the same vein of ¡®following the rules¡¯ like everyone else!


    I pulled out my cell phone and called Futurm as I tried to get over the tangled mess of emotions I had been feeling as the cold dread of nearly dying had started to get suppressed to the back of my mind. That ¡®lovely¡¯ package could be opened up again around six AM in the morning.


    I just needed to focus on the present and ignore that sweet blissful moment that I had felt watching each vampire die before me¡­ that wonderful surge of vindication that I had survived despite the odds¡­ the wonderful madness as I tried to kill the witch when her vampires failed to kill me after the one sided rigged duel!


    The phone picked up on the other end ¡°Boss¡­ things aren¡¯t looking good for you.¡±


    The reply snapped me back into reality much like how that witch just causally made my victory meaningless¡­ all of the dead vampires? Alive. All of the wounds I had obtained? Still here¡­ the fact that I won the onsided duel?


    Ignored.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± I said, trying to wash the vampire ash off my face ¡°How are the bots working? If they got fried during the fight¡­¡±


    It was a dark day that I trusted a devious imp far more than my own freaking human ¡®allies¡¯ to keep me safe. Sure he was a devious manipulative little creature trying to tempt me into doing something I¡¯d regret¡­ but at least he was trying to keep me alive!


    ¡°Not fired¡­ just unable to cheat.¡±The imp replied with a hint of annoyance ¡°Also the dame¡¯s crazy eldritch BS made a mess of the systems. Got it patched up, but I have two recorded videos operating at the same time.¡±


    I took a deep breath ¡°Two?¡±


    ¡°Yah, two videos boss.¡± The imp repeated as I could hear him scratching his head ¡°Whatever eldritch nonsense she did prevented any weapons on the drones from working for clip one. For clip two you just got an extra long ride with traffic until you arrived there ¡®after¡¯ you won the duel.¡±


    As much as I wanted to believe him I had to relay upon my paranoia¡­ or ask ¡®why¡¯ he hadn¡¯t called me in the car informing me about a duel I wasn¡¯t having. Because if this was involved Para¡¯dax¡­


    ¡°Paranoia check.¡± I informed the imp ¡°Call or no call?¡±


    ¡°No call, but good job on the shanking boss.¡± The imp spoke with a hint of pride ¡°Though you really should have gotten a scarf or something. That vampire might not have treated you like a disposable blood bag after he hacked your stick in half.¡±


    No call? That narrowed down the options as it meant that everyone outside of the area was still operating on normal logic¡­ or something. I pulled out a crude notepad and wrote it down every little bit of info helped out.


    ¡°If I wore a scarf he would have torn it off before breaking my arms, and then tried sucking me dry.¡± I spoke with a bitter chuckle ¡°Do you really think I would have stood a chance if he was taking me as a serious threat?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if the peanut gallery tried helping.¡± The imp spat out in anger ¡°Seriously. She gets to pick the location and weapon while you go in blind? Why not toss you both in a pit and bury everyone alive. See who can live the longest without air and call it ¡®durability¡¯ or something?¡±


    I pinched the bridge of my nose as that would have been the smart thing to do, but this was a duel and from what I was getting this crowd liked flashy duels. Having a onesides duel may not have been fun¡­ but if it was quick then my ¡®death¡¯ would only be seen as the opening play before the ¡®real duel¡¯ between the heirs.


    Think Roman gladiatorial arenas. Sure the crowd knew it would be a one sided fight tossing a bunch of peasants without any weapons against a pack of lions¡­ but as long as they screamed loudly while the lions ripped them to shreds the crowd didn¡¯t care.


    So long as it was a spectacle.


    ¡°Think with more Ego than sense and that¡¯s what we are facing here.¡± I took a deep breath as I jotted that detail in my notepad ¡°Still¡­ find anything odd about the conversation I had with the witch?¡±


    I tried to write down all of the details I could remember about the duel. What worked, what failed, what happened before the reset¡­ that was a little bit more tricky due to blood loss and whatever was left pumping through my veins instead of blood.


    ¡°Three heirs and she didn¡¯t name you one of them¡­¡± Futurm confirmed ¡°either something funny is going on or that second heir she has isn¡¯t who she claims to be.¡±


    ¡°Second heir?¡± I asked trying to put the pieces together


    ¡°Yep.¡± Futurm spoke as I could hear the rustle of paper ¡°Green dress, knife, matches the ¡®before pic¡¯ quite well. This whole ¡®trial¡¯ business requires one of them living or dying right?¡±


    My own brief experience suggested a third alternative, but that still left five heirs at maximum¡­ so either somebody was lying or there was a loophole that nobody had paid attention to.


    The imp must have thought the same ¡°What are the exact qualifications, boss? I mean Reanimators could bring¡¯em back to life. Bone Takers for bodies, and if Necromancers are real then I guess they could make an undead¡­ or vampires? That both technically dead, but still kicking right?¡±


    I thought about Agatha Willow for a moment as technically she had died¡­ only to have stolen a new body through some Fae magical trickery. Did she count as one of the heirs or did the body count as one of the heirs?


    This felt like an important distinction because if you just needed a body or perhaps a ¡®bloodline¡¯ to make it work¡­ I glanced at some of the blood stained cloth I had used to try to clean up my neck wound.


    I wasn¡¯t born here, but I counted as a Heir¡­ how exactly did that work? Was something added to my blood to make me qualify or was it some sort of pseudo mystic binding? If it was literally in my blood then what was stopping someone else from doing a bit of ¡®creative surgery¡¯ to gain a new magical bloodline?


    Davin was certainly an expert in the ¡®creative surgery¡¯ department.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Frustration crept into my voice as I tried to think of all the possible loopholes to this problem ¡°Life was much easier when I only had one simple list of corpse related problems.¡±


    ¡°You thought of a loophole already?¡± The imp asked


    I tapped where my heart was ¡°Far more than I¡¯d like. What I do remember was that before the other four left the city limits their memories had been tampered with. The city officials had their pictures and some memories of them¡­ but they forgot two of them as two new picks filled into their slots.¡±


    Averia had no memories of a car drive with me and the other four heirs. One of the girls who had been ¡®forgotten¡¯ was now walking about as nobody knew who she was. Did she count as one of the heirs¡­ and if so then why couldn¡¯t anyone remember her?


    What kept her from having a history written about her living within this thrice cursed city? Better yet¡­ Why did she bother coming back? What was so damn valuable to have her risk her neck to try and obtain it?


    ¡°Okay we might be dealing with seven or eight heirs depending on where Agatha Willow lies on the board¡­¡± I muttered in growing frustration ¡°And that''s if the ¡®original unlucky campers cast¡¯ are not added as spare pieces for the board.¡±


    A normal person might think that counting the original cast of people from that night would have been absurd¡­ but this was fairy tale nonsense we were running on. If we were in Kornea the hard limit would be five people, but that was already out the window!


    For goodness sake! The number might range from five to five hundred for all I knew! Did siblings of the other heirs still count for the drawing pool? Did digging up old dead heirs and bringing them back to life count? Could someone just clone a bunch of copies or do a bit of open heart surgery to move those numbers around!


    Forget fireballs, magical cauldrons, or any of those ¡®magical reasons¡¯ why the mundane human world wouldn¡¯t accept the magical world. No the real reason why they kept themselves hidden from the regular world was their stupid magic legal system!


    If I showed this to any sane citizen they would rise up in arms to either burn down the laws¡­ or use it as kindling as they also tried to burn the idiots and the city who made it just to be safe!


    ¡°Okay let¡¯s focus on the current issue.¡± I muttered trying to focus on what was trying to kill me today instead of next week ¡°Do you think time travel is involved? Something related to Para¡¯dax or something?¡±


    ¡°No dice boss.¡± The imp muttered in disgruntlement ¡°She got injured in the fight and didn¡¯t loop back with the scratch. You did¡­ even the eldritch play by rules. You can¡¯t undo what you experience and they hate those who cheat Pacts.¡±


    Translation? If one of them were helping out then she would be the one getting the raw end of the deal instead of me.


    Pinching the bridge of my nose I tried to calm down. If I got real desperate then maybe I could call upon eldritch aid¡­ oh sure it would be the Godzilla option in this scenario, but it meant I had a card to play if things get hectic.


    There was a bit of talking on the other side of the phone as it seemed like Futurm and whoever was with him were having a small argument. I waited as arguments were good¡­ it mean that somebody had an idea on what to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit more complicated.¡± The imp spoke much to my disbelief ¡°Video one had the duel. Video two had the car stall before traffic extended the car drive. We didn¡¯t make a phone call and when the first clip ended he popped up as video two kept playing only with video one injuries!¡±


    More disgruntled talking in the background. Something that sounded like swearing as I could practically see the little imp shoving the laptop into someone¡¯s face to prove his point. Something odd was going on here and we seemed to be the only ones noticing it.


    I tried to think of what we had incommon and if there was a safe way to bring this ¡®immunity¡¯ to everyone else without planning a side trip back to Kornea and getting eldritch aid.


    ¡°Plans?¡± I asked after a few more seconds


    ¡°Call Necara.¡± Futurm spoke without missing a beat ¡°I mean if it¡¯s asking for help or dying¡­¡±


    ¡°No Futurm. Even if I could I wouldn¡¯t do something as stupid as that.¡± I lied to the imp ¡°Besides we don¡¯t even know if the magical barrier around the city was built to keep Eldritch interference from bothering this place.¡±


    The imp snapped his fingers as I gave him a logical excuse instead of the main reason for it. I mean I would do it if things got desperate, but even then¡­ Para¡¯dax would be the safer option. At Least the fallout from that judgement call would only affect everyone inside the building than everyone inside the city.


    Better to scale up than to toss the biggest bomb first and hope that I didn¡¯t get caught in the explosion.


    ¡°Burn bright?¡± The imp replied ¡°I mean you do have more esoteric elements and this wouldn¡¯t be your first looper you got stuck fighting.¡±


    ¡°I never fought one.¡± I muttered in mild annoyance. ¡°Only those who ¡®claimed¡¯ to be one¡­ and most of them were idiots.¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± The imp spoke in a smug tone.


    I took one long deep breath as I tried my very best to get one very simple fact across Futurm. The one tiny little detail that he along with a couple of other imps didn¡¯t seem to understand.


    ¡°I wear a red shirt or jacket¡­ but that does not mean that anyone else wearing a red shirt or jacket is actually me.¡± I tried to once again explain to the little imp ¡°You simply saw another red cloak wearing individual who was going with a similar color based scheme. I have already shot three magicians of black and four Dark Skull Overlords as two of them were trying to kill each other because they picked the same title.¡±


    There was that long pause as this was the reason why it tried avoiding names sticking to me. Yes the ¡®red shirt¡¯ bit kind of stuck because I liked red¡­ but it was also because it was easier to hide when you were actually bleeding to death.


    Especially when you tied the signature jacket or shirt to a stick and hid. Then it was just a matter of lining up the shot while they opened fire on the dummy you set up.


    Never underestimate the power of Loony Toon Tactics!


    ¡°Oh sure.¡± The imp spoke not believing a word of it ¡°And I¡¯m just supposed to expect that it was another red jacket who managed to tick of Nicka¡¯li, deal with Para¡¯dax, and just so happen to be carrying a gun that wasn¡¯t built back then.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I spoke much to his annoyance ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there was another ¡®Red Shirt squad¡¯ fighting over the title until the last one left alive would be declared the new ¡®Magician of Red¡¯ by the time you get back to Kornea.¡±


    I released a deep sigh as I checked my ribs¡­ lots of bruising, and my body was kind of beat up. The kevlar vest kept any shards of glass from hitting me, but there was far too much glass being shaken out of the vest¡­ and not enough vials that hadn¡¯t been shattered during the fight.


    ¡°You may just need to win two more times.¡± A new voice spoke up ¡°Even by the laws of Magic the rule of three still applies as the third trial is the one that sticks.¡±


    I rolled my eyes ¡°So two more trials where she could send ¡®Ashy the Vampire¡¯ to beat me senseless and drain me dry. Do they have a bunch of sugar cookies and juice for me to snack on while I take a nap?¡±


    ¡°You are not allowed to repeat a trial or tactic previously done.¡± The voice explained ¡°It must be a new challenge or tactic. Only the first attempt may work¡­ repeating the same attempt shall always end in failure.¡±


    ¡°Got it preacher.¡± The imp muttered in reluctance ¡°You don¡¯t need to kill ¡®Ashy¡¯ a second time. You just have to deal with the next threat in the slot. I packed the lantern just in case you needed it!¡±


    The lantern with the green flame was currently sitting on the bathroom floor as I had mixed feelings about bringing that into a fight. On one hand if the enemy was going to blatantly cheat then having it in reserve would be useful.


    The problem was that I didn¡¯t get to use it within a safe spot under my own rules. I viewed the lantern in the same way a nuclear engineer would view plutonium. It was man made, useful in controlled circumstances, and most people run away screaming when those controlled safeguards are removed.


    ¡°Low odds are better than no odds¡± Futurm practically whispered in place of my shoulder demon.


    I sighed as that was the problem with shoulder demons¡­ they made pretty damned convincing arguments that you knew was a bad idea¡­ but a very tempting idea nonetheless.


    ¡°Deploy the drones, as I¡¯ll need to save the lantern for round three.¡± I said while pocketing three of the drones for my own protection ¡°I¡¯ll try just a bit of the Eternal Flame into the frying pan spell for this round, but nothing big.¡±


    The green eldritch flame was esoteric, but I had the unlucky moment where I had to try weaving some of it into the first spell I had ever been taught. I just needed to keep the range of deviancy into a safe limit¡­ or one that I could survive.


    ¡°It will have to be indoors if you want to use the drones.¡± The imp replied ¡°Clipping issues are still a problem and your ¡®Loony Toon Tricks¡¯ need coverage¡­ coverage that requires the drones to be on a ceiling as those vampires better not float around to block the feeds.¡±


    It was stupid, silly, and just as likely to get myself killed¡­ but I was running low of supplies and blood. Checking the small tablet and making sure it had a good connection¡­ There was a knock on the door as my time for prep work was over.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Walking out of the bathroom I sighed as Mr Knight kept scowling at the vampires who were looking at the bathroom like a free buffet room. Finding out that my blood was good enough to drink despite garlic acting like acid to their tongues wasn¡¯t the greatest revelation today.


    From out of the other bathroom Averia walked out dressed in what looked like leather armor and carrying a few items of her own. She looked at me in slight embarrassment before placing a hand on my shoulder as I knew what she was going to say.


    ¡°She challenged me.¡± I told her ¡°Just so long as I can catch her before she cheats a second time. Then I¡¯ll be good.¡±


    ¡°She meant to challenge me.¡± Averia spoke in a calm tone ¡°Besides¡­ What are going to do if she picks strength? Try to stumble towards her and beat her with a broken staff?¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡± I informed the half-elf much to her confusion ¡°Pride won¡¯t allow her.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t believe in pride.¡± She spoke with a hint of a smile.


    If what the ¡®preacher¡¯ said was correct then her fairy tale magic would ensure that Ashy the Vampire would be doomed to fail a second time. She still had more tricks up her sleeves and now she knew that she couldn¡¯t just treat me like the opening half-show.


    ¡°Because she will want answers and trying to beat me to death with my ¡®crutch¡¯ will not look very dignified in front of everyone.¡± I half-lied to everyone as they stared at me as if I was insane.


    Still it was partly true as I remembered her from that first night. She wanted to know what was up with my eyes, how I survived, and more importantly¡­ how much I knew.


    I was the random piece that fell outside of her plans. Not a ¡®Spanner in the works¡¯ mind you¡­ that was probably the small army resting outside. She had no assurances that whatever ¡®trick¡¯ that allowed me to slip out of her curse wouldn¡¯t also apply to the literal army waiting outside.


    So I was expecting her to try and wessel a few answers out of me before trying to kill me¡­ and I just needed to have her establish a Pact to try and get some straight answers out of her¡­ before word got out that Pacts beat crooked magical contracts.


    ¡°Answers?¡± Averia spoke not believing a word of it ¡°And I¡¯m just supposed to¡­¡±


    ¡°Deal with the other heir.¡± I broke the news as she and the others stared at me in disbelief ¡°You should probably talk to your dad about the other heir she has set up for the duel.¡±


    The half-elf blinked, unsure of what was going on, but I used the remains of my staff to more or less hobble over to the room where Round Two was taking place.


    <hr>


    The room was obviously modified for this specific purpose as I¡¯m not even sure if the residents had asked why a room like this had been built. The room was built like a gladiator ring of old if only updated just enough to make someone mistake it as a spare teaching classroom or for somebody in a business suit to start up a clip show¡­ or something.


    Salt and Ash. They might actually have Robot Battle Arena fights in this room on Saturday nights for all I knew. If you wanted something done then you could find excuses to force everyone else to go along with them.


    The hard polished wooden floors had been buffed to a nice shine. The stands had vampires setting up seats as they prepared to see the blood sport play out once again. They even had the hostages sitting up in the seats as I knew this place was messed up.


    The family was worn, tired, and the wife was holding a towel to her neck looking a lot paler and thinner than she should¡­ yet there was a look of excitement on her face as if she won front row seats to a sports game! The husband glanced at the vampires like they were some annoying heckler in the stands¡­ instead of their kidnappers.


    ¡°Get them out of here.¡± I spoke pointing at the hostages I had been dragged here to help out ¡°I¡¯d rather not have them get hit by ¡®friendly fire¡¯ half-way through the duel.¡±


    There were a few confused looks as Averia spoke with a shake of her head ¡°Stray shots? Surely you wouldn''t plan on harming them¡­¡±


    I pulled out my revolver and waved it around ¡°Gun, bullets, shield block bullets and it bounces off and might hit somebody. You¡¯ve got cameras in this room. Just have them watch outside the room as my current state tells you just how much I trust your ¡®word¡¯ you crazy witch!¡±


    Agatha Willow frowned, but she motioned for the vampires to escort the family over to Mr Hawkings. The idiots actually looked slightly offended at being denied the show until they actually got a good look at me.


    ¡°You attacked someone before a duel?¡± The wife spoke as if beating someone up before a duel was somehow more inexcusable than being kidnapped and fed upon by vampires.


    ¡°I can solemnly swear that no one here had attacked him.¡± The witch spoke in a calm tone.


    I waved Mr Stabby Ton ¡°And I¡¯ll swear on my life that she did. If I lie, then let me die.¡±


    All eyes fell upon me as the husband sort of squinted as I felt something brush up against me like spider web. He glanced back at the witch who had kidnapped him as if trying to sense if one of us was lying.


    It was an old trick.


    Technically she wasn¡¯t lying because nobody ¡®had¡¯ attacked me. The attack had happened before the loop¡­ and the only proof was the very obvious disheveled state that I was in.


    Despite popular belief it was in fact quite easy to be dishonest without telling a single lie. You didn¡¯t even need supernatural powers to have people learn how to weave truths into something more twisted than lies.


    Lawyers and politicians had learned that art before steam engines existed.


    I glanced at the wife and remembered something. ¡°She did promise that you would be treated like guests instead of blood bags if the council brought the heirs to accept her duel¡­ by having us challenge her when she is the one challenging us.¡±


    The wife quickly nodded and more or less dragged her husband and children out the door as Agatha Willow wore an etched business smile and just stared at one of the vampires. The vampire in question started to move until his ¡®allies¡¯ grabbed him and brought the blood sucker over to the witch.


    ¡°One moment¡­¡± She spoke as the family stopped ¡°I promised your family would leave in good health and¡­ I would hate to be called a liar.¡±


    She pulled out a long serrated knife as the captured vampire tried to scream before he was silenced. The knife tore through his stomach as blood didn¡¯t spill on the floor¡­ it just gathered into a ball and floated in the witch¡¯s hand.


    She pulled out her wands and seemed to stir the blood with her wand a little before a long red thin line danced through the air and touched the wife. Her skin regained its color as she looked healthy now¡­ healthier to the point it looked that she might have been healthier than before she was kidnapped.


    ¡°I thank you for keeping your word.¡± The woman spoke as she made a slight bow ¡°Even if your associates sought to foul it.¡±


    The vampire with the bleeding stomach smiled thinking that this was the end of his punishment. It was a pained hopeful smile that lasted until Agatha Willow took one look at me and smiled. A brief look of horror filled his face as the witch shoved the knife back into the vampire¡¯s stomach before twisting it.


    His voice was lost to the void, but you could somehow hear that silent scream of agony and pain as she extracted even more blood from him and tried sending a new thin red line of blood to heal my wounds.


    The moment it touched my skin it burned as I knocked it aside. The line of blood splattered against the ground practically cackling as if it was gunpowder that had just been lit. The other vampires stared at the fallen blood as Agatha¡¯s smile twitched for a moment.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I muttered rubbing my arm ¡°Wrong blood type?¡±


    There was a pause as I was still a bit paranoid about being given free magical healing from my opponent. If there was a chance to rig the fights then why not poison me before the fight or worse¡­ heal me, but have some sort of curse ready to activate because of some obscure Fae logic?


    She reset time and the first ¡®pact¡¯ I made in this city was someone promising not to kill me and then immediately trying to have some sort of magical contract kill me before we finished shaking hands.


    I deserved to be paranoid!


    ¡°Or maybe it was not given freely.¡± Ashy the vampire spoke ¡°Lady Willow if you would.¡±


    The witch blinked, forgetting about the vampire she had practically gutted ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Ashy smiled ¡°It would be a poor host to allow insults to be given without making amends. A guest has been harmed while an opponent crippled. The vampires fell under my domain and thus my responsibility to make amends.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡± I spoke as the vampire kneeled like a knight of old ¡°I can¡­¡±


    The witch nodded as she slit his throat. Blood followed the same method as this time the red substance forced itself through my skin somehow as I could feel a little bit less dizzy even if my paranoia only grew.


    The only saving grace was that Ashy might have died¡­ only to watch the vampire stand up and grab the one who had been stabbed in the stomach and bite into his neck. The neck wound healed and yet he still continued feeding until the injured one turned to ash before my eyes.


    Ashy the vampire pulled out a red handcloth and wiped his lips as if he had just finished a meal¡­ instead of killing another vampire. The rest of the group didn¡¯t argue as the vampire underlings grabbed a dustpan and broom to remove the ¡®one who brought insult¡¯ from the room.


    Agatha Willow simply smiled as she replied ¡°I take my oaths and words seriously. Now that the trash has been taken out¡­¡±


    Agatha Willow motioned to the table and chairs that I hadn¡¯t really noticed until now. Maybe it was magic or the sheer unease of seeing a room full of vampires with very few exits to escape through¡­ or maybe she just had used magic to summon them here?


    ¡°Please sit Kravos¡­¡± Agatha spoke as she sat in one of the chairs ¡°I would like to try and see if we could talk things out instead of having to duel.¡±


    ¡°No thanks Agatha.¡± I muttered out loud ¡°I¡¯ve already been subtly threatened enough times to¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep calling me Agatha?¡± The witch spoke as if it wasn¡¯t obvious ¡°She had died¡­¡±


    ¡°Your hair is black. Rose¡¯s is red. I can literally see it.¡± I spoke in mild frustration ¡°Second Law. Kornea¡­¡±


    Another repeat happened except this time a pair of vampires were not restraining me. Agatha Willow was now almost forcibly holding my eye open as I knew she was examining my eyes again¡­ or was this the first time for her?


    ¡°Where did you get those eyes?¡± She asked almost repeating the same scene again ¡°I¡­¡±


    It was the same offer, but I cut her off ¡°Get killed, have the surgery done to your eyes, and then have a reanimator bring you back to life.¡±


    There was a long and awkward pause as now everyone was staring at me. Okay it did sound nuts and they were probably waiting to see what the real answer was¡­ or wondering why I had done such a thing to myself.


    ¡°A reanimator owed me a favor and I had a contract set up for some¡­¡± I rubbed my neck ¡°Work to be done to my body should I perish. It was less painful than being¡­ alive through the procedure, but it was good work.¡±


    ¡°You died¡­ as in died to get this work done?¡± Agatha spoke in mild disbelief


    I nearly laughed as it probably sounded insane ¡°Oh no I was killed and I just had a reanimator do a bit of work before he brought me back to life. Seriously, the council has records of bringing other people back to life.¡±


    If I was going to be dead then why not use that spare time to get some work done? Yes, that probably said something about my sanity, but you could take a few more risks if you had insurance set up¡­ I mean I had pushed Akara out of a skyscraper and watched his body or ¡®splat¡¯ when it hit the pavement so I knew they were good at their job.


    There was a long awkward pause as apparently the realization that I had died before took a bit of time for them to adjust¡­ while Mr Hawkings just looked a bit more stressed as he inched closer to the exit.


    ¡°I think a trade of information is needed before we proceed to talks then.¡± Agatha Willow spoke as she stared at my eyes with a new sense of unease.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t think you understand the problem.¡± I informed her ¡°Even if you kill me there is a literal freaking army camping outside with orders to kill the ¡®witch¡¯ who broke the Second Law. Maybe you kill me or maybe I kill you only to have you hope into a new body¡­ but the folks outside don¡¯t care.¡±


    Agatha chuckled ¡°What do you think they would do? Burn the entire city down to get me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I informed her as she was about to say something witty ¡°They would tear this city from existence and level it to dust.¡±


    The laughter stopped as she stared at me waiting to call me out¡­ to not ¡®believe¡¯ that someone would be ¡®that petty¡¯ and yet there was that growing sense of unease.


    ¡°You literally have a contract placed on your head.¡± I informed her ¡°The real reason why I¡¯m not afraid? Turns out the folks outside have offered ¡®free resurrection services¡¯ for anyone trying to kill you. If I die then they can toss my corpse outside the city limits so that I get a free respawn.¡±


    Oh it was a complete and utter lie as Akara would have been gagged, bound, and dragged back to Kornea so that he could do something extra nasty to me¡­ but there was just enough truth to make her look very uneasy by my statement.


    How much of that was the truth and how much of it was a lie didn¡¯t matter. I had information she needed and she had an army that she couldn¡¯t ignore if she won this duel.


    ¡°Are you sure there aren¡¯t any questions you would want answers to?¡± Agatha spoke as she moved her hand to the wand on her side.


    I wanted to say ¡®yes¡¯ and get this over with, but I needed to check one tiny little question first¡­ How much did she know about Kornea?


    I held up a finger and pretended to think about the offer ¡°Okay¡­ who is the girl in the green dress with a knife?¡± Agatha seemed surprised by my question ¡°I¡¯m asking due to¡­ personal issues alright?¡±


    ¡°Personal¡­ issues?¡± Agatha spoke clearly interested in my reason ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    ¡°Second Law.¡± I muttered ¡°If you don¡¯t get it then you don¡¯t deserve the answer.¡±


    The witch held her chin in her hand as she deliberately took her time to think about my answer. This was one of the questions that had been bugging me and as much as I hated to admit it¡­ getting this question solved was for my own personal piece of mind.


    It was then Agatha Willow cracked an unnerving smile that made me think ¡®oh you just screwed up Dais¡¯ as a shiver ran up my spine as she pointed at Averia.


    ¡°No urge or desire to shoot her?¡± Agatha spoke as Averia had left a very loud clear objection


    ¡°Yes or no.¡± I spoke as the dam witch knew what I was asking. ¡°Remember I¡¯ve dealt with reanimators so dead people coming back to life isn¡¯t new to me.¡±


    ¡°Only if you agree to sit at the table.¡± Agatha practically spoke in a sing-song tune as I bregringly nodded my head ¡°The answer is No.¡±


    She answered the question without actually answering it¡­ she was running by Fae story logic then. More importantly it meant that she might be hungry enough to actually try taking up a Pact thinking she could slip out of it with ease.


    Cheap as it may be¡­ I wouldn¡¯t exactly object if she was taken out by a Pact Rebound.


    ¡°Table.¡± Agatha spoke as Ashy the vampire pulled the chair back ¡°As now it is time for my question.¡±


    I walked over to the table as the vampires moved to block Averia from joining me.


    There was a look of unease, pain¡­ and a personal hatred in her eyes ¡°Aren¡¯t there any questions you want to ask me, you cold hearted hag?¡±


    The cold hearted hag turned around and looked at her with open disinterest ¡°No. I already cursed your father and I have a good idea what weave your mother tried.¡±


    ¡°Mother?¡± I asked glancing back at Averia and Agatha Willow ¡°Do you mean she isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°First word of advice Kravos. Fae are quite skilled at slipping out of even the most seemingly iron clad contracts.¡± Agatha Willow spoke with open annoyance ¡°He would love no other than me¡­ and that woman found a loophole. A child born from me without me.¡±


    The wand actually snapped in her grip as she stared at it with slight embarrassment as she broke one of her weapons from petty anger. That was one less weapon I had to worry about and it showed that the witch could make mistakes.


    ¡°You were right Kravos¡­¡± Averia spoke as she glared at Agatha Willow ¡°She really is too prideful to admit that she can lose.¡±


    Agatha Willow smiled revealing all of her teeth as she spoke in a slow deliberate tone ¡°You will die tonight puppet.¡±


    The half-elf girl gave her the one finger salute not daring to be outdone as the vampires more or less pushed her out of sight and view as Agatha Willow sat back in her seat so that Ashy could push the chair in. To my surprise he pulled out my chair as¡­ Most people trying to kill me generally weren¡¯t this civil.


    Ashy started operating more like a butler than an undead murder knight as he pulled out a tea set. There was a small burner keeping the tea hot as he carefully poured a glass out for Agatha and left a small bowl of sugar cubes and milk. The witch took her time making sure her tea was just right before she motioned for the various sets of tea and cookies to be presented for me to pick.


    I just pulled out a bottle of water from my coat ¡°Your question for mine?¡±


    Agatha smiled ¡°Straight to the point then¡­ how did you get those injuries?¡±


    I bit my lip as she didn¡¯t know? I was pretty certain she was behind it¡­ or was there a cost to it? Some sort of side effect that prevented her from remembering? For all I know it might have been on purpose as experiencing it might keep any injuries you obtained¡­


    Something one would want to avoid when trying to avoid one¡¯s death.


    ¡°A pact then?¡± I asked, holding out my hand ¡°I give the honest truth in exchange for you doing the same.¡±


    She stared at my hand for a few seconds before letting out a frustrated hiss ¡°I¡¯m changing my question. What exactly are you doing? I tend not to shake hands with what feels like a cattle prod being pointed at me.¡±


    ¡°Beloved by the Spire.¡± I half-lied to her ¡°You have your magic. I have mine. Contracts have loopholes. Pacts go by the spirit of the pact instead of the letter.¡±


    She asked and I had to answer if only to ensure that if she broke the Pact then the rebound would affect her instead of me. The witch glanced at my hand wondering if I was telling the truth before she clasped my hand.


    I could feel the Pact starting to work its magic, but unlike everyone else I had bargained with¡­ she felt different. The best way to describe it was as if I had taken a particularly rotten vegetable and felt it squish within my grasp.


    I did my best to hide the rising urge of disgust as it felt like something dripping across my hand making me want to wash it under scalding hot water right away. To wipe my hands against the table, scraping whatever had clung to my skin and making me feel sick to my stomach.


    Ironically Agatha Willow didn¡¯t seem to react nearly as badly as I did as she just glanced at her hand studying it for a few moments. There was a weight of¡­ presence about her. Just the air getting thicker as her presence seemed harder to ignore before it¡­ just vanished.


    She took a long sip from her cup before placing it down ¡°Your question? Would you like to know the true value of the Witch¡¯s Hill? What the Witch¡¯s Legacy actually is¡­ or something more personal?¡±


    The words were spoken as a whisper as I could feel them trying to slither into my ear before the words burned away. I could practically hear her ¡®tisk¡¯ as she had tried to magically influence me¡­ which made her the most dangerous person within this city.


    So I went as blunt as possible ¡°Daughters. How?¡±


    ¡°I always had daughters¡­¡± Agatha flinched in pain before taking another sip of her tea ¡°But one minor question first¡­ how much do you remember Lost Traveler?¡±


    ¡°My question first.¡± I informed her


    ¡°My question is needed for your answer.¡± She replied without wincing in pain.


    Either she was getting better at hiding it¡­ or she found a loophole as she might need information in order to explain it to me. It wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon when having to deal or bargain with non-human entities that lacked human understanding.


    Especially when you wanted certain details understood to prevent a misunderstanding that could cost you your life.


    ¡°Funny in a cruel way, that fate can let one marry, remarry, and marry again while the rest of us never even got to try taking a swing at it?¡± I tried to quote as Agatha Willow stopped drinking her tea.


    She put the cup down and stared at me not with an idle passing interest¡­ but one that let me know that she was now seeing me as a threat. It wasn¡¯t that I knew who she was¡­ it was that I still remembered most of that night.


    ¡°Funny¡­¡± She spoke in an idle tone pretending my words hadn¡¯t bothered her ¡°But I take it the cards have been played differently for you as well?¡±


    She glanced at Averia and Nadel as my own fragmented memories flared up a little¡­ whatever trick she had tried to pull off apparently and spilled over to me a little.


    ¡°Second Law.¡± I spoke as I took a small sip from my bottle of water mixed with a dash of esoteric enhancement ¡°The memories aren¡¯t mine so they don¡¯t count. I¡¯m not that person no matter what they say.¡±


    ¡°Two sets¡­¡± She spoke with an open scientific interest ¡°But if you must know¡­ They are your memories and their memories are real. Both sets of memories are real.¡± Before I could speak she pulled out a plastic baton ¡°My turn. What is this?¡±


    I stared at it as I knew she was trying to cheat the pact ¡°Honest answer¡­¡±


    She winced before cursing out ¡°It¡¯s complicated and worth two. You won¡¯t understand without asking a second question.¡±


    The pressure seemed to lessen as I sighed ¡°A wand. Specifically one from Kornea built as a flamethrower.¡±


    She slipped it back into her robes before nodding ¡°As a bonus I¡¯ll tell you why¡­ Rose had this on her and unleashed it upon her attackers. They captured and tried to rewrite her fate¡­ and since she had this they thought her domain was fire and this it was reflected upon her as ¡®red heads¡¯ tend to have claim over the domain of fire.¡±


    I glanced at the vampire who was still serving tea ¡°Translation?¡±


    ¡°Oh he can¡¯t hear any of this.¡± Agatha spoke, taking a few cookies for herself ¡°Spell circle to prevent anyone else from hearing¡­ and as I said you would need a second question to understand and so you shall. I simply rewrote fate itself.¡±


    The words went in one ear and out the other as¡­ surely I misunderstood that right? This is why Pacts had certain things to help prevent misunderstandings. To help have explanations to prevent them.


    Yet I could see the sweat on her head form as she was using her magic to try and hold it off. My own mind tried to piece together the puzzle, but the look in her eyes told me that she wanted to ask her question before giving me a better answer.


    Agatha Willow smiled ¡°My turn. Why does your blood bleed black? I don¡¯t know and you seemed to have bled red before at the house.¡±


    I bit my lip as I needed answers¡­ and that was the price wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°I did a few experiments on myself.¡± I admitted to my annoyance ¡°I was not ¡®born with magic¡¯ but I knew enough to fix that issue.¡±


    The pressure from her faded as I didn¡¯t give her a full answer as we both knew it¡­ and accepted it. An equal agreement¡­ and to also show that if she wanted to be tricky with her words then I could be just as tricky.


    ¡°How?¡± she practically hissed, dropping her cup as she stared at me with open greed.


    The peanut gallery turned to stare at her as she quickly put on her mask again and picked up the cup before pretending that she had laughed¡­. That whatever she had heard wasn¡¯t important enough for them to pay attention to.


    Still it was that very question that had Davin hunting me.


    I held up a hand and shook my head as she ¡®humped¡¯ in mild annoyance realizing that it was my turn to ask a question¡­ and I would be just as honest as her¡­ which greatly annoyed her.


    ¡°What do you mean by¡­ rewriting fate?¡± I asked as I held up a hand ¡°I had the misfortune of dealing with the Eldritch and Para¡¯dax treats linearity as a novelty.¡±


    She blinked as the name didn¡¯t ring any bells, but it certainly made her want to ask for further clarification. The vampire had set up a new cup of tea for her as she added her milk and sugar to it before stirring it, but never looked down at the cup as her focus was on me.


    ¡°My¡­¡± She placed the spoon down ¡°You have traveled quite far.¡± She chuckled ¡°And here I thought I would have an easy time placing my questions.¡±


    She took a long sip of her tea before glancing at Averia¡­ who now gave the one finger salute with both hands. It might have been childish, but the half-elf knew that it pissed off the body snatching witch.


    ¡°My domain is Fate dear boy.¡± Agatha spoke in a reluctant tone ¡°The Hill? The city? All of it falls under my domain¡­¡± A twisted smile fell across her face ¡°Though perhaps an example might be more to the point?¡±


    She held out her hand as now I got the impression of someone trying to shake hands with a cattle prod as whatever magic she was working had twisted around her grip in a mocking attempt to copy a Pact. The fact she pulled it off so easily was rather horrifying.


    ¡°Come now Magician¡­ One who sought the Spire for forbidden knowledge should surely seek into the unknown for the answers that you crave.¡± She spoke in a mocking tone ¡°And have no fear¡­ I promise for it to be temporary as not but a second shall pass.¡±


    I glanced at her hand ¡°And the price? Magic always has a price.¡±


    In Kornea it was a bit easier to figure out. There were rules, guidelines¡­ heck it was more of a Science than a mystical art. Yet even here I was starting to piece together certain rules and prices. Otherwise the magical secret of turning a lump of carbon into a diamond wouldn¡¯t nearly be as ¡®amazing¡¯ as it should have been.


    Agatha Willow grinned in a way a certain woman might skin a bunch of puppies to make a fur coat ¡°That line right there. I¡¯m going to use that in the future¡­¡± I frowned as she shrugged ¡°You have the legal rights to the Hill. I have the magical rights¡­ this is just a sample of what I have to offer if you give me the hill.¡±


    Through clenched teeth and bitter regrets I took her hand as I could feel her magic struggling against the Pact. How it slithered across my flesh as the world seemed to tear itself apart. My mind struggled against it as dozens of strings, lines, weaves fell across my sight.


    It was as if the world had been reduced to something else.


    Then Agatha Willow held a string and plucked it like a musical instrument ¡°Ah yes¡­ that should do.¡±


    And then the world went black.

 CH14

    I rose up from bed as my head started to ache making me wonder if I drank too much or got shot again¡­ probably the latter. It was hard to ¡®drink¡¯ when alcohol didn¡¯t mix well with your system. A minor ¡®side effect¡¯ from my stay in Kornea.


    I glanced at myself trying to figure out if it was bruises, a gunshot wound, or something else only to find a pair of hands wrapped around my waist¡­ and another pair wrapped around my chest.


    My mind struggled to make sense of what was going on as Nadel yawned wearing a very select amount of clothing as a ring rested on her hand¡­ and Averia was the second individual who was also wearing the same amount of clothing while wearing a similar ring on her hand.


    Wedding rings.


    My brain tried to reboot trying to figure out what was going on as it nearly got working right up until Averia kissed me. It wasn¡¯t a peck on the checks, but a full blown kiss made with a long familiarity despite my lack of prior experience.


    My brain struggled to try and reboot as it was caught between ¡®There is nothing wrong and this is normal¡¯ to ¡®Something is wrong¡¯... though the more primitive parts of my brain boiled down to ¡®Shut up and think later!¡¯ as it tried to reroute blood that should have been going to my brain.


    Averia more or less sauntered out of the bed while making sure to show a good view of her rear as she started to get dressed. It was a very good view that made voice number three more or less beat the other two voices down.


    It certainly didn¡¯t help when Nadel pulled me over to her side and kissed me with an equal amount of skill¡­ only when she got out of bed she didn¡¯t turn her back. No, she made sure to show me a generous amount of her uncovered chest.


    Caveman brain used libido club to beat the other two voices down. It not care about right memory or wrong memory. It care about burning nice view into caveman memory


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan for our anniversary?¡± Averia Lynch spoke with a smile


    ¡°Anniversary?¡± I asked as my mind struggled to catch up ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Told you we had to prepare for it Ave.¡± Nadel spoke in a taunting, but loving tone ¡°Though to be fair he had a lot on his plate last week.¡±


    ¡°You will not forget me.¡± A voice whispered in the background


    ¡°Wait¡­ last week?¡± I muttered as I looked around counting two people in the room.


    My own brain tried to beat back the primal caveman portions down with the promise of ¡®Angry woman means sleeping on couch¡¯ as even in my dazed state¡­ I needed to remember what exactly I had missed or forgot before things got messy.


    A mess of memories smashed together as I started to wonder if I did do something stupid like trying to drink alchocl. It felt like what people claimed a hangover was¡­ light headed, pounding headache, the realization that you did something stupid made even worse due to you inability to remember it.


    My fingers brushed up against the rings on my finger which (shouldn¡¯t) have always been there. The three (odd) completely natural wedding rings that rested on my hand¡­ okay it might have been a bit odd outside of Willow¡¯s Hill, but there was a history of this being common here.


    Especially when it involved Heirs of the Hill.


    ¡°I am a part of your past¡± Hissed the voice causing me to wince as¡­


    This wasn¡¯t right. There was a dull feeling falling across my aching body as I was forced to look up and notice my wife Averia had finished getting dressed.


    The Half-elf adjusted her clothing as the long backless green dress looked like it came from a fantasy movie¡­ mostly to help show a generous amount of chest, backside, arms, and make you wonder how the shoulder straps managed to hold it all in.


    Nadel on the other hand wore what resembled one of those chinese dresses with a long slit down the legs to both over them up and show a good amount of leg¡­ especially with how far up the slit went bringing a teasing image to mind.


    The cold feeling pressed down harder as it whispered ¡°I exist in your present¡±


    Something pressed up against the windows as the vague shape of something humanoid if twisted to the size of an ogre tried to glance through the windows as I could see multiple eyes staring back at me before the blinds had been closed.


    ¡°Who would have thought we¡¯d all end up in the same bed?¡± Averia spoke breaking me from my nightmares as she continued ¡°Could you imagine telling past selves ten years ago muchless what their reactions would have been?¡±


    Nadel rolled her eyes ¡°Better than the alternative.¡±


    I found myself nodding along as I tried not to imagine three factions trying to duke it out for the hill. Oh sure there were a few complaints, but marriage contracts worked to smooth things over. Averia was in charge of the elves (and married to me) leaving the Forgotten woods under control.


    Nadel may have lacked one of the Witch¡¯s Legacy by birth¡­ but marriage allowed her to leverage enough power to silence the fools on the council who wanted to do something far most costly (and stupid) in order to acheive the same results.


    Her grandmother wasn¡¯t a fan of the union, but it was to accept the marriage or be left as the only faction not aligned to the current owner of the hill. What little allies that would be behind her wouldn¡¯t last long and so their marriage went unopposed even if there was a lot of grumbling from the stands during the vows.


    I checked my dresser trying to sort through my supplies to find something to deal with the bruises and hopefully find something presentable. Already Nadel was picking out my Tux as Averia was calling up morning reservations to that pancake place we had enjoyed as hormonal driven teenagers¡­


    When Averia made the insane suggestion for our current relationship. That simple idle question idiots ask which would have normal people throw something at them, but in this city? Common sense seemed to be lacking in certain areas.


    Like the reason why everyone involved should have said no instead of ¡®Sure. Why not?¡¯ because when you were raised by Agatha Willow who had gone through double digits for husbands (six at most, two at minimum) it made the suggestion of three¡­ seem reasonable in comparison.


    Especially since none of them had tried killing each other to low that number.


    Odd to outsiders, but progressive to anyone who knew the history of the Hill. Especially to the envy of many people who saw us together.


    I Tried to tie the collar around my neck before looking into the mirror as something inhuman stared back at me. Its reflection showed the creature standing right behind me practically taking up the entire background.


    I could feel it¡¯s breath upon my neck as it whispered ¡°And I am in your future. No matter how hard or how far you run¡­ I will always be at the end of that path.¡±


    Rose knocked on the door ¡°Ready for what we have planned for the day?¡±


    The other girls tried to say something as she opened up the door revealing the red haired freckled wife¡­


    My hand grabbed the revolver and pulled the trigger three times.


    <hr>


    The illusion broke as Agatha Willow held a red pendant up with a slightly annoyed look on her face. The revolver was in my hand as the gun clicked, but refused to fire. It was the same stupid magical trick that stopped me from shooting her in the first loop.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± The witch spoke as reality reasserted itself ¡°You actually went along with it right up until the door opened.¡±


    A cold sweat broke out over my body as I saw three rings resting on my hand. Each one engraved with a separate gemstone picked for each of the girls I had¡­ that I hadn¡¯t married.


    Yet they were sitting there¡­ real.


    I placed the revolver down and slipped off the rings as Agatha Willow muttered underneath her breath. The rings felt hard within my grasp as they held a sort of¡­ pull. It wasn¡¯t like the memory curse that haunted me, but a lingering scent¡­ or a memory of a dream.


    Except that it had been real¡­ something greater than the fragmentary memories that tried to force their way into my mind, or an illusion that held no substance as it was meant to trick me. The cold solid rings that rested in my hand almost whispering about what I nearly had¡­ and how much I wanted it back.


    Clenching my teeth and shoving the rings into my pocket I tried to regain control of my mind. It had to have been an illusion¡­ no it was a dream. This wasn¡¯t the first time I ran into something that could mess with your dreams.


    It was the reason why I had set up protection in my bedroom for when I went to sleep. You didn¡¯t need to understand how something was able to harm you to protect yourself from it. A child didn¡¯t need to know how a hot piece of metal could conduct heat when they touch it. They only needed to learn who to protect themselves from it.


    My hand reached over to my shoulder to bring a very real and solid pain causing me to wince from Akara¡¯s parting gift. Leave it to him to try and find a way to murder me in my sleep.


    Agatha Willow noticed the blood dripping from my shoulder as Ashy the vampire (and crew) stared at my shoulder practically licking their lips like starving wolves being presented a full course steak dinner.


    When the witch snapped her fingers the sound didn¡¯t so much ¡®echo¡¯ but felt more like a gunshot forcing everyone to pay attention to her lest the next bullet be aimed at them.


    A very real possibility considering what happened to the last vampire who had ignored her warning. So when she signaled for the vampires to come and not cause a fuss¡­ they came like beaten dogs trying to avoid getting hit again.


    ¡°Okay so you can mess with dreams.¡± I muttered as the vampire started marching towards me ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that you are the only¡­¡±


    Pain cut me off as Ashy the Vampire held my right arm hard enough to feel like it was going to leave bruises as he more or less undressed me that involved a lot more ¡®pulling¡¯ instead of ¡®helping¡¯ me remove my shirt, kevlar vest, and jacket.


    A part of me wondered if he actually remembered dying and was being as rough as possible in ¡®undressing me¡¯ as some sort of petty payback.


    After a lot more pulling and colorful insults later. I was left half-naked so that everyone could see the bloody red mark with four almost inhuman long marks that almost resembled a human hand¡­ if made by something that had a rough idea on what a human hand was supposed to look like.


    It wasn¡¯t bad enough to cause another ¡®rest break¡¯ as the vampire forcefully dumped something that stung to prevent any infection from festering before wrapping it up in bandages. Amber seemed to be the only person confused at the continued medical aid I was being given as Agatha Willow looked pissed.


    She wasn¡¯t angry at failing to trick or convince me with her¡­ magical dream spell thing.


    No she was furious as someone attacked her opponent before a duel and undermined her authority. That it was a direct insult practically being flaunted as the culprit was practically waving it around without facing any retribution for the insult they had given to her.


    The rest of the crowd (who weren¡¯t looking at me as their next meal) where lending cries of outrage as they too were angered at the second assault against me as Agatha Willow had once again failed to protect me before the duel.


    Never mind that she was planning to kill me. This was one of those cultural pride things¡­ it would be like the ancient roman gladiatorial arenas only instead of watching a one sided slaughter the crowd noticed that the ¡®to be slaughtered¡¯ crowd had already died from starvation before the lions got their share.


    At best it was embarrassing. At worst it was an insult at how incompatent the management was.


    I could feel the almost blinding hatred from Agatha Willow as she treated my injury while shouting ¡°Find that worthless bastard born of a whore named Akara and bring him to me! Corpse or alive! Your choice!¡±


    I winced in pain yet a twisted part of me couldn¡¯t help but make a jab ¡°Upset he wounded your pride?¡±


    Yes it was stupid considering she planned to kill me, but there was one thing that I had started to pin down about her. She had that same self smug attitude that assured her that she could do no wrong¡­ that she needed to make an example instead of finishing off an opponent.


    ¡°If you give me control of the hill I can promise you that fate can be written to that fate¡­¡± She spoke with the same drive any Para¡¯dax cultist spoke.


    I rolled my eyes as if she was right¡­ I already knew how the tale ended. At worst you died as someone else replaced you which made the offer worthless. At best you got it right¡­ only to have the second copy walking about living the life you wanted because they didn¡¯t make the same mistakes you made.


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I spoke much to her shock ¡°Already heard the offer before and saw the end results.¡±


    For the first time I had seen her she looked truly lost¡­ confused as she was offering up everything she thought I would have wanted on a silver platter and yet I shrugged it off without a second thought.


    ¡°Why?¡± She spoke trying to understand ¡°Do you not realize what I am offering you?¡±


    I shrugged ¡°Para¡¯dax makes paradox. You are not the first person to make the ¡®time travel¡¯ speech and if you could actually do it then you know why its a stupid idea in the first place.¡±


    I was an idiot for listening to her as it was obvious now. She was probably doing something realistic like implanting her memories into other people. I mean yes it was illegal, but she turned the city into her own puppet show.


    Heck her ability to twist ¡®fate¡¯ was no more than selective historical editing. Easy to make anyone believe you could manipulate fate when you removed any memories that contradicted that little detail!


    Anger crept into her voice ¡°You think I¡¯m lying¡­ you don¡¯t actually believe it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with Eldritch.¡± I replied ¡°Strange, creepy, alien, and hard to understand¡­ but even I draw the line at some point. If you really could control fate then why did you die as a single old¡­¡±


    The words at the tip of my tongue died as Agatha Willow had her hands around my neck as I could see the anger burn in her eyes. It was for a brief moment, but she let go, allowing sweet air to filter back into my lungs.


    She marched back to her side of the table as Ashy the Vampire handed me back my clothing as I remembered one of the old rules. Even a con artist could be deadly when you call them out on their bluff.


    ¡°Really? I guess they skipped Norse Mythology history lessons when they were teaching necromancy and creative solutions¡­¡± She spoke in a way that sent a shiver up my spine ¡°And yes¡­ I looked.¡±


    She held up one hand and then in a twist of fate¡­ she had it slam down revealing the silver orb in her grasp. The orb sat on the table making every hair on my neck raise up as there was literally no possible way she could have simply stolen it from me like that!


    The dull pulse left an unpleasant feeling in the air as I could feel her drawing power and more importantly focus from things that would be best avoided. Magic always had a price¡­ and some prices just weren¡¯t worth it.


    When she spoke the words skipped my ears and hammered into my mind. There was no lie or falsehood in her voice as she spoke the truth. The honest truth which made it all the more fighting as I could no more deny it than I could not deny anymore than water being wet or fire being hot.


    ¡°You can manipulate fate to some degree.¡± The witch spoke in an almost motherly tone ¡°Odin could see the future and learn to alter it to some degree, but Freya could do so much more.¡±


    There was a hint of reverence or respect. Like talking about a childhood idol that you had outgrown or perhaps a fictional character. Yes they were fake, but you could still respect the ideals that they stood for or the lessons you had learned from them.


    ¡°Freya could do what the ?sir could not.¡± She spoke with a smile that horrified me ¡°Should could alter the weaves of fate to things that had already happened.¡±


    Memories of the old norse gods came to mind as they were a bit fuzzy, but the sinking feeling in my stomach grew. Fae magic, Fae Logic, different rules.


    ¡°Yet even her power had limits as she could make minor alterations.¡± The woman spoke as I thought about video two and the ¡®delayed car ride¡¯ coming to mind ¡°She couldn¡¯t restore Odin¡¯s lost eye. There were certain¡­ events that fell out of her domain to alter.¡±


    Was it just me or had the lights started to dim? I know it wasn¡¯t from the orb as only a tiny amount of it was being used. The words, the speech, the atmosphere was pressing down upon me as her smile grew, taking delight in my horrific realization.


    The kind you got from super villains who monologues expect they tied the ropes tight as the train was within view. Maybe there might be some plucky hero to rescue you¡­ or maybe you were one of the deaths before the hero noticed what was going wrong.


    She spoke in a mocking whisper, fully enjoying every moment of it ¡°Yet with the Hill I could restore Odin¡¯s lost eye.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie, or some false belief. It was true¡­ a haunting truth as the ¡®dream¡¯ felt less like the common illusions and tricks I knew, but something far worse as my throat grew dry.


    ¡°Yet with the hill and each of the relics¡­¡± She spoke in a deliberately slow tone savoring every single moment ¡°With a new fate unbound from the shackles the traitors within my council had bound me with over the years?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Her hand held my shoulder with a gentle grace while my stomach felt like someone dropped a brick into it. To be able to see fate¡­ twist it¡­ bend the weave to her will? The only reason why she died from old age was because she hadn¡¯t figured out how to stop it.


    ¡°I needed just enough power to fix the one issue¡­¡± She spoke in a near whisper ¡°One last great weave fueled by a practitioner¡¯s death curse.¡±


    She died¡­ so that she could fuel her final curse¡­ or last alteration of fate to leave five unbound heirs free of any and all restrictions and limitations.


    The Council was now burning contracts trying to restore their own power and to remove their own limitations built up over the years failing to realise that some of those contracts were carefully bound with other contracts¡­ a slow build up of loopholes, by laws, and Magical Legal Trickery.


    And now they were burning those very contracts. The very thing Agatha Willow couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°So¡­ now that you know that it will be you instead of somebody else...¡± She spoke with a grin that seemed to make the shadows deepen around her ¡°How about my offer?¡±


    She was telling the truth. The orb made it impossible to disbelieve it and there was that tone in her voice that made me believe it even if the orb wasn¡¯t double checking it. The horrid wretched truth that made crafting a long and ancient death curse built up over generations to kill every single heir just to be safe¡­


    Now it all suddenly made perfect sense in a horrific horrifying way.


    If I refused her then things could become very dangerous for me as while her power had limits that I didn¡¯t understand¡­ I still had to figure out how to beat her two more times.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do that.¡± I spoke as I pointed at the bandages on my shoulder ¡°Akara seems to hold more leverage then you do.¡±


    The smug smile she wore cracked as her eye twitched. She stared at my wound no longer trying to tempt me or getting ready to vent her anger out at me. No it was¡­ simply redirected as the orb told her I was telling her the truth.


    The honest truth much to my unease.


    I¡¯ll be honest as her offer was very tempting. Heck a part of me felt like kicking myself in the rear for rejecting it knowing that it could become real for me!


    I mean who could deny it without second thoughts? A happy life as you were financially secure? One that lets you fall in love and be happy without too many problems? That I could still study magic and practice the craft without a lack of resources, without having to risk my life and sanity¡­ without any threats trying to kill me?


    It was nearly perfect.


    Yet I didn¡¯t trust it for two reasons. The first one was that Akara could still harm me within that fantasy as he had recently proven. Heck it might even be worse because I could remember Akara and the threat he posed to me. In that ¡®happy future¡¯ I might not realize that I was being hunted by the horror movie monster of the week.


    Though it took me a few seconds to realize it¡­ there was a faint whisper in the back of my head. One born from the fragmented memories that even warned me that this was a bad idea from those memories.


    Agatha Willow didn¡¯t share power.


    The smile grew more stiff as annoyance and vile hatred dripped from her voice ¡°Akara¡­ the idiot who tried to challenge eldritch gods before being cursed by them? You think that blundering idiot holds more leverage over fate itself than me!¡±


    First rule about dealing with threats far more deadly than yourself¡­ find someone else to direct their power against. Just because you can¡¯t beat them doesn¡¯t mean that someone else can¡¯t weaken them enough to make it possible.


    I pointed at my shoulder ¡°Hard to argue with the evidence.¡±


    Her smile tried to return, but it became so stiff and fake it was terrifying. I could see the chinks on her armor as she waved her hand to reveal a large stone the size of my head. It had a couple of norse runic carving on it, yet a sort of¡­ presence came off it.


    Sort of like a covering over a piano. You couldn¡¯t see it, yet it was so large and obvious that you got a general idea even if you couldn¡¯t get all the details.


    It was a Witch¡¯s Legacy and it was nearly as dangerous as the Silver Orb... in the same way a shotgun was less dangerous than a bomb. One killed everything around it¡­ the other killed where the person pointed it.


    ¡°You know it would be a lot easier on you if you just gave me the hill.¡± Agatha Willow spoke trying to sidestep the issue ¡°If that fool thinks he can harm what is mine then I can show him just how fickle and vicious fate can be!¡±


    Her focus was on Akara, but my mistake was forgetting that she wanted the hill to further prove her dominance and power. I was just a mere speedbump standing in the way of her greatness.


    I got all the information I could squeeze out of her. Now it was time to deflect, pretend to be a lot less dangerous than I really was, and let her focus on Akara leaving me as a mere afterthought as I bagged the orb cutting off its power.


    She didn¡¯t notice the dull hum go away as I just needed to get one good cheap shot. Then I could try figuring out how to survive round three.


    I held up my wrists ¡°I was bound to the city and wasn¡¯t allowed to escape The Council as they made me sign a few contracts.¡±


    Technically true. It was leaning on the ¡®honesty¡¯ line a little bit, but more importantly I could be dishonest now that the orb was hidden away. The witch on the other hand was too caught up in her rage to notice it.


    It looked like she was trying to psychically strangle Mr Hawkings from across the room before she took a sharp almost hissing deep breath in an attempt to calm down ¡°I really was too lax with them.¡±


    She took a long deep sip of her tea as she tried to bring back an air of grace that wasn¡¯t tinged with a psychotic rage. I took another long sip from my own water bottle as the chains on my wrist were still binding, but she wasn¡¯t focused on me.


    She was focused on what she was going to do after beating me. The thought she might lose was gone from her mind allowing me an actual shot in beating her.


    With a short business like clap. My ears sort of popped as she drew the attention of everyone. I could now hear the slight nervous whispers as everyone knew what was going on¡­ Agatha Willow had made her decision as now it was time for her speech.


    She spoke like an actor pretending she was sorry ¡°Alas prior agreements and arrangements have prevented the talks from panning out as our prior obligations have forced us to duel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take his place to hack your head off!¡± Averia openly cursed.


    Agatha Willow just waved her hand ¡°Oh Amber if you would be a dear and take care of that one.¡±


    The venom in her voice made it clear that even if I had accepted that happy little ¡®fate¡¯ and that I could trust her not to kill me¡­ Averia Willow¡¯s presence within that fate wouldn¡¯t have been tolerated as she stood as a testament to her failure.


    Agatha Willow wouldn¡¯t directly kill the half-elf¡­ but a random quirk of ¡®fate¡¯ would end her life in a rather swift and brutal way¡­ or simply made it so that the half-elf was never born in the first place.


    Hard to mourn someone who never existed after all.


    She rose out of the chair as the vampire cleaning crew prepared to move everything out of the way before Agatha Willow made a flick of her hand summoning the silver orb and placed it on the table next to her magical object.


    How had she managed to whisk it away from my bag while I was still holding it?


    The Silver Orb rested beside the Witch¡¯s Legacy as both stood as trophies for her eventual victory. She didn¡¯t fear the magical relic because she didn¡¯t know what it really was. I on the other hand could feel the whispering as the black ink spread across the orb forming an eye.


    I tried my best to block out the whispers as they were listening.


    The unspoken words ¡°You can always ask for help¡±


    Thankfully one of the vampires placed a sheet over the orb to stop its effect as the pale skinned monster seemed to be just as unnerved as I was.


    ¡°Just need to check my equipment.¡± I muttered to myself as I reloaded my gun while trying not to stare at the orb ¡°Though I¡¯m going to have to ask what the exact rules are for this duel.¡±


    Agatha Willow smiled ¡°Why a challenge of Energy seems fit here. Until the opponent dies, surrenders, or is unable to fight.¡±


    ¡°So what if I shot you in the leg?¡± I asked, waving my revolver around for all to see ¡°I mean what exactly is the ¡®limit here¡¯ as no offense¡­ I am playing to win so unless I keel over or stop moving¡­¡±


    ¡°My second shall declare as he shall know when an opponent can not fight anymore due to the contract.¡± Agatha Willow spoke in a calm tone ¡°Do not worry as he shall not throw the match, but shall be ready to ensure that you survive for us to talk bargaining and trading magical information.¡±


    She had tried to make it sound like flirting or some sort of innuendo, but I knew better. She wanted what I knew and thought that there was no way that I could beat her. She had power, leveraged her knowledge, and made sure to let me realize just how far outclassed I really was.


    Though the joke was on her.


    I was always outclassed.


    Averia to my surprise spoke up ¡°Agatha Willow is known for her attempts and failures in securing a husband¡­ trust me when I say you do not want to lose even if your life wasn¡¯t on the line.¡±


    Agatha Willow glared at the half-elf as the scene was being set up. She and Amber are standing at one side of the room with me and Averia on the other. The enemy team was trying to figure out how best to hamper us while we were left waiting to see what they would throw at us.


    ¡°Challenge of Strength.¡± Amber spoke much to the confusion of Agatha Willow and Averia the half-elf.


    I glanced at the last player as she had knives¡­ Mr Knight used a sword, but¡­ she tugged at her skin as a sense of unease filled me. The way she held the knife wasn¡¯t an amature despite how impratical the knife she held was.


    If she actually knew how to use knives in a fight then why carry the impractical curved ¡®ritual knife¡¯ instead of a proper knife for actually fighting someone? She wasn¡¯t even wearing any armor!


    Averia on the other hand wore leather armor, held a sword like she knew how to use it, and¡­ well she was a half-elf trained by elves who hadn¡¯t been allowed to play with modern toys. So it was a safe bet to say that she probably knew how to handle a sword better than anyone else in the room besides Ashy.


    A flare of fire danced around Agatha Willow¡¯s fingers warning me of my own problems instead of focusing on someone else¡¯s. Questions could be focused on after I managed to survive this fight.


    I took a deep breath and adjusted my cloak in preparation for Loony Toon Tactics ¡°One quick question¡­ I¡¯m allowed to use my tools right?¡±


    Agatha chuckled ¡°Magic, elemental, and such is allowed. You may not shoot me with a bullet from the mundane or beat me with your crutch¡­ but unleashing spell fire is legal.¡±


    ¡°Manipulation of fire, water, wind, and so forth¡­ right¡­¡± I sent another command before slipping on an earpiece ¡°One last question¡­ I want to make sure this is legal...¡±


    I could hear Futurm chuckling as I tapped the side of my earpiece as a small illusion of light flickered before my eye as I held out my hand pretending I was holding a gun. One of the drones rested on my hand and displayed the illusion of a gun.


    Forget focusing on questions and writing everything down¡­ If I survive tonight then there was a good chance that I was going to strangle that little imp as I held a ¡®ray gun¡¯... the type of old scifi gun that looked more like an oversized toy than a real weapon.


    You could practically hear a pin drop in the room as everyone stared at me in utter disbelief at how utterly ridiculous I looked holding the old scifi age prop in my hand. Fallen Light I swore I could actually hear someone trying not to laugh and failing to do so.


    I just had to remind myself that the first rule of being a Magician was hiding what you could do. Let everyone focus on the smoke and mirrors while you keep the real secret of what you were doing hidden from your audience.


    ¡°Sorry, but I need to remind everyone again that I tend to do property damage with stray shots.¡± I spoke as a mild apology


    The ¡®gun¡¯ was pointed down, but the cue was given causing a red beam of energy to burn a hole into the floor. Their looks of disbelief and mild amusement quickly changed as the now smoking hole was clear for all to see as even part of the floor caught on fire.


    The raygun looked silly, but it was hard to ignore the results.


    ¡°Yes...¡±Agatha stared at the gun in my hand before nodding ¡°I shall allow that as it will be fun having you tell me how such a weave was crafted. ¡±


    I shrugged before giving the signal ¡°I am beloved of the Spire. One who thinks the curse is a blessing nonetheless.¡±


    Ashy the vampire to my surprise spoke ¡°Let the challenge commence.¡±


    As soon as he finished those words an orb of fire was flung at me. Not a burst of flames or something adhering to the laws of physics or reality¡­ but a literal floating orb of fire shot towards me as I dogged to the side before unleashing a laser beam of my own.


    She had effortlessly dogged the attack as I pulled my cloak to cover my body as the real magic show started. Pulling the cloak over my head I landed on the floor and rolled away a little as I could hear the sound of another attack barely missing me.


    After a few seconds I could hear a few voices talking in confusion before Futurm let out a soft sigh ¡°Boss¡­ it''s working. The clip show is a go.¡±


    I sighed in relief trying to be as quiet as possible. What everyone else saw was ¡®me¡¯ disappearing into a magical portal before suddenly reappearing in a different location. Their focus was on the illusions instead of what I was actually doing.


    Some might call it cheating, but if they allowed a concentrated beam of lethal light as legal¡­ Then why not a few holographic illusions?


    I pinned myself to the floor as I struggled to pull out my tablet device as Agatha cursed out loud trying to hit the illusion while the drones did their job. My own body was hidden by another similar ¡®invisibility¡¯ trick, but it would only work so long as they didn¡¯t know what they should have been looking for.


    After getting to what felt like a safe place I set up my tablet device to allow me to take a brief glimpse at what was going outside while I went to work. It was important to know when to move when people didn¡¯t know where you were.


    Especially when your opponent had an almost¡­ no she had a supernatural ability to doge as she moved out of the way before the laser beams went off.


    Not too fast to adjust the aim, but just close enough to make a show out of it before she unleashes a bolt of magic that should have killed ¡®fake me¡¯ if he wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    The color bolt of magic had clipped through the illusion¡¯s head, but the look of annoyance informed me that Agatha Willow thought she had just ¡®missed¡¯ my head.


    She dodged another attack and glanced at Ashy who replied ¡°He has yet to break the rules of the duel.¡±


    Supernatural rule detection or the vampire could smell my blood, but refused to inform her where I was actually hiding¡­ I might actually have time to do this without blatant cheating happening right away?


    It nearly made me forget about finishing the spell I had been working on due to the sheer oddity of it.


    The peanut gallery was confused as more of the humans started backing out of the room as Agatha Willow¡¯s magical attacks didn¡¯t leave any property damage. Her fireballs didn¡¯t burn the floor and her lighting bolts didn¡¯t even leave a burst of static cling to the metal she struck.


    ¡®My attacks¡¯ on the other hand left their mark upon reality. Each laser beam burned a hole in the floor, melted metal, or got uncomfortably hot when it nearly struck the witch as she started to sweat.


    I made a mental note to write this down later as she should have been setting this place of fire. Instead she twisted her hand and somehow prevented any fires from my lasers from working¡­ even if she was stuck trying to dodge them.


    Then to my ever growing embarrassment Futurm decided to take it up a notch as Fake Me shouted in a cheesy loud booming voice ¡°Behold the Paradox of Para¡¯dax!¡±


    Another jump, another ¡®leap through time¡¯ before Fake Me unleashed a barrage of attacks weaving in and out or ¡®reality¡¯ and capturing her own shots to ¡®fire¡¯ back at her. I¡¯ll admit it was a bit disconcerting to see her effortlessly slap away bolts of electricity drawn from the building¡¯s electrical grid.


    ¡°Try switching it up.¡± I whispered into the earpiece ¡°Aim for the feet. If the floor gives out then she can¡¯t doge.¡±


    ¡°I got it boss.¡± Futurm muttered ¡°Just hurry up on that frying pan spell.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as it was just like him to dismiss how hard I had worked on this spell. Sure it was a starter one that everyone practically learned, but it was for a good reason!


    Do you have any idea how complicated it is to create a safe method to keep a hamburger floating? To ensure that the concentrated spot of air wouldn¡¯t suddenly burn out or worse¡­ cause a rather nasty explosion?


    It was a neat little mundane trick in much the same way that releasing just the right amount of electricity to ensure that your lightbulb didn¡¯t explode¡­ to ensure that the materials inside it didn¡¯t burn out or not provide the needed charge to light your room up.


    Yet to everyone else they were cheap objects that held no marvel in its construction¡­ just an annoyance when they died forcing you to dispose of the old one and replace it with a new one.


    Simple, mundane, ordinary¡­ and a lot more complicated than you realized.


    The circle was made far larger than what would be considered reasonably safe. The inner workings made it cause more of a vacuum effect, sucking all of the air into the room before setting off a spark in a rich oxygen environment.


    Anyone standing near this thing would most likely die and as much as I hated it¡­ Averia might not walk out of this thing in one piece. The only grim comfort I had was that Agatha Willow would reset everything so¡­ it wouldn¡¯t matter¡­ would it?


    ¡°Boss. Set the timer. I¡¯m going to the finisher show.¡± Futurm hissed


    The ¡®Primer Drone¡¯ crawled out of my robes as it sat in the center of the circle before slowly opening up its body to reveal the spark of the Eternal Flame still burning. The small ink stained claws rested against the floor ready to finish the spell and fuel the explosion with it¡¯s life.


    The imp still had control over the drones even with the help of my magical assistance¡­ if I didn¡¯t move he would set it off.


    ¡°Submit!¡± Holo-Me shouted


    That was my que to start crawling away as quickly as possible.


    Two drones underneath my robes came out to carry the tablet in front of me as I tried to quickly crawl away from the fighting without being caught within the crossfire.


    It was already being proven that fighting Agatha Willow in a straight up ¡®fair fight¡¯ wouldn¡¯t end well for me as she was dogging multiple laser beams in what could only be described as pure supernatural nonsense.


    Ten beams shot out at once as she managed to twist her body in just the right way that allowed each shot to miss and allow her to unleash a black bolt of magic from her wand in what should have been a kill shot. Instead a ¡®portal¡¯ appeared seemingly blocking the shot.


    She was practically dancing through the lasers and swatting any bolts of electricity that tried to hit her. A large part of me wanted to simply pull out my gun and try shooting her¡­ but when she was dogging attacks from almost every angle.


    To my shock the Witch who toyed with fate had an almost ecstatic look of ecstasy as she was enjoying the fight even as she struggled to try to kill the illusion. Still the deadly dance caused her to move closer and closer to the circle on the floor.


    The little drone prepared to set off the fuse as Futurm readjusted their aim to ensure that the circle wouldn¡¯t be struck, but of course¡­ It was that moment when I realized the key flaw with my plan.


    Averia the half-elf tripped over my body as she didn¡¯t see the invisible lump on the floor as she hit the floor. Already people were shifting their focus as Agatha Willow turned to see what was going on.


    Plan B was already in effect as the drones unleashed a barrage of attacks trying to fill the air with flak forcing the other two opponents back while Averia Willow to my shock pulled my cloak up and shoved herself underneath it with me.


    There was a look of utter panic and terror in her eyes as she hissed ¡°Set it off now!¡±


    Before I could even ask, the Imp took that as his que to hit the button as the spell went off. The screen flared with an eldritch green light as the two of us struggled to keep hold of the ends of the cloak in an effort to prevent any of the flames from slipping in.


    I could hear each sudden burst where air sucked into the center of the circle before releasing a horrific explosion painting the room in flames. The song of chaos rang five times before it ran out as I struggled to pull out the breathing masks.


    I didn¡¯t plan on having to share as I had no idea how long it would take for the fire department to rescue us from the fallen burning bits of rubble¡­ but hopefully everyone got outside and could dig us out of the rubble before we ran out of air.


    The cloak had been treated to deal with damage and heat, but even then there were limits to its strength¡­ especially if a chunk of rubble pinned us to the ground.


    ¡°Any moment the fire alarm will ring.¡± I muttered ¡°We just need to hold out until¡­¡±


    Then to my shock and horror I heard a golf clap.


    Long, slow, drawn out golf clap as if I had just performed a magic trick on the stage as the audience was applauding now. Staring at the tablet in horror the smoke dissipated from the room in a quick gust of wind.


    The cloak was practically torn out from underneath us as Agatha Willow wore a self assured smug look without a single burnt hair as if I hadn¡¯t tried incinerating everyone muchless burning all the breathable air in the room!


    No. She just stood there shaking her head and smiling as she had been watching a show instead of dying! Even the peanut gallery of vampires had mostly sat there remaining in their seats as they continued the applause as the witch made a mocking bow towards me.


    ¡°I should have caught on sooner. All that talk about friendly fire and such!¡± She chuckled in good humor ¡°And that laser trick. How very Fae like you are Kravos! Asking to pull off an illusion instead of the beams of magic!¡±


    There was only one trick left as I had been careful in picking my words. I was hoping that this would be used for round three, but my fingers inched towards the magical equipment on my side.


    A nervous chuckle escaped my lips ¡°To be fair they were the same trick.¡± She stared at me in disbelief ¡°It was all light. I just figured out how to make images with it and concentrated beams of heat with the right intensity.¡±


    She made the mistake of nodding as she lazily pulled out her own wand thinking that the duel was over. That it was her time to make a speech as I meekly surrendered having been bested by her superior talent.


    I pulled out the red baton as she missed the real question I had asked.


    Manipulation of water.


    ¡°Seventy percent.¡± I spoke with a twisted smile as I pressed the button.


    People wondered why swords weren¡¯t popular in Kornea. Well this weapon was one of the precise reasons why swords weren¡¯t common in Kornea. Why struggle trying to swing a heavy lump of metal to hit something when you could just hit everything in front of you?


    There was a pained scream as her skin tore. My own hands stung being so close to the tip of the baton, but Agatha Willow was too close to doge the¡­


    <hr>


    The attack.


    Time reset once again as Agatha Willow finished taking a sip from her cup of tea. She stared at me only this time with far less amusement as she stared at my hands.


    The wand I had used had cracked as pieces of it simply fell to the ground¡­ It was a one-shot item. She didn¡¯t look like she was having to recover from having all of the water in her body being forcibly ripped out of it.


    Still my clothing had changed. There were more ink stains and I was sweating a bit. My heart was still racing at having nearly been caught, but I succeeded in surviving once again.


    And then she threw up.


    It wasn¡¯t a gentle thing as it caught everyone¡¯s attention as I could feel the raw malice within the air. The vampires moved over to see what was wrong as her body began to shake. There was a look of fear in her eyes as suddenly the memories had hit her.


    And so did the wounds.


    Tiny burns and scorch marks appeared all over her clothing. Her hands shook from having a near death experience, but most of all¡­ the silver orb hummed as the black ink stuck on it glared at the witch.


    Agatha Willow coughed trying to recover, but she saw the orb¡­ and realized that something wrong had happened.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I idly asked before taking a long sip of my ¡®half empty¡¯ water bottle.


    She smiled though it lacked any warmth as she said ¡°How much water is in the human body?¡±


    She knew¡­ she remembered the duel as now there was a hint of edge to her voice and unease. The orb practically hummed letting us know that someone was watching. Maybe she had did her little magic trick to reset everything¡­ but she had broken a Pact¡­ an agreement.


    It didn¡¯t matter if ¡®technically¡¯ it hadn¡¯t happened¡­ they saw it. They knew she cheated¡­ and that she was trying to cheat a pact even if it was technically one of their Fae Magical contracts/agreements.


    Her hand fell upon the Witch¡¯s Legacy as I could feel a dull hum of power from it¡­ sort of like when you could feel the charge of electricity in the air before a thunderstorm or an exposed bit of high voltage cable.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Agatha Willow spoke trying not to sound unnerved


    ¡°The audience voicing their opinion.¡± I replied much to her displeasure ¡°There is a reason why we don¡¯t try to cheat agreements back home.¡±


    Ashy the vampire came over and was trying to say something, but it was as if the world was on mute. The underlings moved to clean up the mess, but there was an obvious sense of panic within the room as they saw both of us looking a lot more raged then when we had started.


    With a snap of her fingers Agatha Willow as volume returned to the world. Everyone stared at her waiting for her to explain ¡®what exactly had happened¡¯ as there was a look of open vindictive malice in her eyes.


    I grabbed my revolver ready for the swarm of vampires to descend upon me.


    ¡°Find that worthless whore born basted named Akara and kill him.¡± Agatha Willow spoke in a cold icy tone ¡°I will not tolerate an outside party trying to interfere with a duel in an attempt to harm either of us.¡±


    Ashy the Vampire hissed in open disgust ¡°To think those outsiders would stoop so low.¡±


    Agatha Willow nodded as¡­


    ¡°Challenge of Strength.¡±


    I felt something sharp piece my stomach as Amber had somehow slipped through the vampires and attacked me. While nobody else seemed to have suffered from the previous fight her clothing had been damaged from what looked like sword wounds. Her flesh had been cut and burned¡­ she had returned damaged.


    ¡°Magician of Red¡­¡± A voice whispered from the orb ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    Amber held the silver orb before anyone could react as she said something before the world went dark.


    <hr>


    Something caught me as lights appeared around me. Endless pink pricks of starlight as it felt like I was floating in space. The pain of my body had faded, but not the fear.


    Two supernovas flared as I remembered one of the key differences between the magical groups that operated on Fae rules¡­ and those who operated with the Eldritch Playbook.


    Noticeably their lack of subtlety.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Magician of Red.¡± Nyte spoke from all around me ¡°It appears you have¡­ an opening in your¡­ time slot to talk.¡±


    ¡°You mean I died.¡± I spoke not finding a way out of this mess


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nyte spoke in an almost idle tone ¡°You have caught my interest. There is¡­ an opening after¡­ Akara¡¯s failure in management.¡±


    I gulped feeling a cold sweat break out ¡°And what exactly do you want?¡±


    I closed my eyes as the supernovas flared as the eldritch being spoke three simple horrifying words.


    ¡°I want in.¡±

 Ch15

    Kornea is a big place. It has a lot of problems, wonders, and things most people would rather forget¡­ sort of like any city. Even the more suburban ones where there were those areas that you knew of that might even be close to you¡­ but you just did your best to ignore them because the rest of the area was pretty good.


    So long as you avoided that one street or block.


    That is what the Eldritch were in Kronea. They were the unwanted blocks that most people tried not to notice. It wasn¡¯t that they were evil¡­ but simply¡­ unwanted for a better term.


    I would be the first to admit that some non-human entities should be shot on sight, gutted, and then have their entrails sold to the highest bidding chop shop¡­ Keep in mind that some of them saw humanity as nothing more than walking treats that walked on two feet.


    The bigger ones like Nyte were¡­ well¡­ Nyte was a horrifically large and absurdly powerful entity that might not even operate on the same rules of reality as everyone else. If the ones that ate humans were the ¡®bad parts¡¯ of a city¡­ well¡­


    Nyte was the equivalent of Triad, Mafia, or whatever large criminal organization that could easily crush a regular person without even trying too hard.


    The type were just simply being noticed was a threat in itself.


    First rule of dealing with the vastly absurdly powerful thing that could crush you without even blinking¡­ try your best to not be afraid¡­ I know it sounds absurd, but if they haven¡¯t immediately erased you from existence then they wanted something from you.


    They wanted you alive until you figured out a way out of the mess.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I took a deep breath and tried to smile ¡°Could you clarify what you mean by that?¡±


    Nyte seemed caught off guard for a moment as the one advantage I had over most people¡­ what that I had actually read up on my opponents¡­ or really large dangerous eldritch nightmares that had an active presence in the area.


    Unlike Triads, Mafias, and most large criminal empires¡­ Eldritch entities like Nyte had their own books held within the public library. You could actually look up information to get a better idea on how to deal with them.


    I still wasn¡¯t sure if the books were made to either lure people into their service or to warn people on how to avoid them. Still it was better than what most unlucky characters dealt with in these situations.


    ¡°You are not¡­ afraid?¡± Nyte spoke almost embarrassed.


    ¡°No.¡± I lied ¡°You just happened to schedule an appointment at a¡­ very inconvenient time.¡±


    ¡°You had an opening¡­ and a line open.¡± Nyte slowly replied ¡°It was not my fault another clientele simply sped up the arrangement.¡±


    Translation¡­ Nyte kept an eye on the situation when the Orb became active, but he in fact did not send whoever tried to kill me to¡­ well¡­ kill me.


    The good news was that I was probably still alive as Nyte wouldn¡¯t want me dead before he finished giving me his offer¡­ The bad news was that Nyte was keeping me alive and could kill me should I refuse his offer¡­ or do something worse.


    Things could always get worse after all.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked once again ¡°Because as I¡¯ve already said before¡­¡±


    ¡°I need¡­ perspective.¡± Nyte spoke, trying to piece together the words as a cold chill ran down my stomach. ¡°I need¡­ a contractor.¡±


    To everyone else it would have been really good news as certain eldritch entities required¡­ let¡¯s call it ¡®help¡¯ in being able to utilize their power. Maybe it was due to their powers, how they operated with reality¡­


    Or some of the Crusaders were right thinking that God with the Big G from the bible slapped a few restrictions on them.


    Nobody figured out the answer yet, but Nyte fell in both the restrictive category and requiring aid bit. As essentially his ¡®power¡¯ required someone to make sense of it and to mold it into a useable form. That gave a lot of leeway to the contractor¡­ and generally it came along with side benefits.


    The flaws of course was that it fell outside the normal limits of human understanding, safety, and you were quite liable to die a painful death just by using it for a certain amount of time. Oh sure your body would adapt (or the eldritch would modify your body) after you survived the ¡®contracted work¡¯...


    ¡°I want to go inside the city.¡± Nyte spoke finally, piecing together the words ¡°And I need a vessel. You are not¡­ under¡­ contract with others.¡±


    ¡°As I had retired.¡± I quickly replied trying to keep the frozen block of fear from twisting my stomach into a black hole ¡°I left Kornea due to¡­ contracting¡­ by law difficulties.¡±


    To be more precise I left The Spire because of just how dangerous it had become. I left because somebody needed to get rid of that stupid orb. I left because I wanted to live without Eldritch Threats lurking over my head.


    ¡°Someone has broken The Laws, Magician of Red.¡± Nyte spoke as I could hear the anger in his voice ¡°And I need Perspective on how to best rain down judgement upon the guilty.¡±


    I gulped as this was bad. I mean it was bad enough with the small army outside the city limits just setting up camp¡­ but this meant that their complaints and just reached the higher ups who were pissed.


    Nyte was the sort of eldritch being who took those laws seriously. The type who would burn and salt the earth to leave a clear warning to everyone else on what would happen if they tried to repeat the transgression.


    If I was a more noble sort of person this would have been the moment where I shouted some heroic line like ¡®I would never join you¡¯ or ¡®You shall not pass!¡¯ as this place was my home¡­


    A jolt of pain shot through my head as even here the unwanted memories assaulted my head as I tried to force them away.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t born in Willow''s Hill.¡± I reminded myself ¡°Ash and Salt. I haven¡¯t even been here for a solid month!¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Nyte spoke as his presence started to shift about. ¡°Is something... interfering with your thoughts?¡±


    The fast night sky I had been trapped in started to change shape as dark night blue sand filled the void. The stars shifted from their orbit as a crude image of a human body without any features formed in front of me.


    An irrational surge of panic filled my body as I tried to change the subject ¡°Why not Akara? You know his personal issues with me¡­¡±


    ¡°He tried to outsource work¡­ his contract is¡­ tangled.¡± Nyte spoke trying to convey his meaning ¡°The quality of his services has been found¡­ lacking. Your contracts are over and¡­ office hours have yet to be set up. You have no prior¡­ engagements to hinder a new contract.¡±


    Translation?


    Akara screwed up his ritual and pissed off Nyte. Apparently his actions during that day had been enough to have Nyte cut off all connections and have him looking around for a new permanent contractor.


    Since I was a free agent I was on his list¡­ since I was also inside the city he wanted to rain biblical fire down upon as he hunted down someone who broke a Contract and someone who broke the second law¡­ I was prime real estate.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure my record is exactly¡­ sufficient for one of your services.¡± I spoke as I felt a bump¡­ I felt something within this void ¡°As I remember you required a certain level of¡­ quality for more¡­¡± I snapped my fingers trying to find the right word ¡°Personal touch projects.¡±


    Nyte didn¡¯t respond as the eldritch entity tried to figure out exactly what I was saying. Right now I could get a small feeling of life¡­ it hurt and my lungs felt a pained labored breathing, but it was breathing nonetheless.


    The stars around me flared as Nyte seemed to have come to a decision before I could figure out a way to escape.


    ¡°Your services for the other three¡­ up class clientele have proven¡­ sufficient.¡± Nyte spoke trying to ease my concerns of being possessed by a malevolent eldritch entity ¡°The level of¡­ cost from personal funds can be¡­ alleviated in exchange for¡­ funds renewed after services.¡±


    Translation¡­ he freaking knew about the other pacts I made with eldritch entities. More to the point he knew exactly what I did to Akara. He knew about that gamble! The stupid Pact I had made with Necera!


    Something brushed against my skin as it felt like being rubbed by sandpaper. Sharp sandpaper that cut my flesh leaving a dark inky cut instead of blood red¡­ blood. This was bad. This was very bad as it meant there was enough of Nyte to make my body react like this!


    ¡°I am sorry, but prior¡­ obligations have left me to¡­ negotiate my contracts and rates.¡± I tried to explain tripping over the words ¡°They would find outside services during their contract to be¡­ troublesome.¡±


    The eyes stared at me as I decided to break from Nyte¡¯s preferred terminology and speech to make it clear and simple as¡­ my head ached in pain as for some reason nearly committing sucide sounded like a good idea.


    Why did committing sucide sound like a good idea!?


    ¡°You have two choices.¡± Nyte spoke in a clear and dreadful precise tone ¡°This city of wretched Fae tries to infest your mind. Practitioners of Pact Breakers dance freely and insult the agreement of the contract.¡±


    The stars flared like supernovas as I could feel their heat radiating in a barely contained rage. My eyes couldn¡¯t break from the two red stars that had formed as his eyes as this was less of a ¡®contract¡¯ and more of him informing me of what my job would be.


    ¡°If you stay within this Fae infested hovel then those memories will claw at your mind. They shall¡­ eat at your memories¡­ infest your thoughts.¡± Nyte paused as he struggled with the words ¡°They deny choice!¡±


    ¡°And you would deny my life.¡± I spoke in an unnaturally calm tone ¡°You would continue until this city is, but dust and ash if that is what it took before the time of my ¡®services¡¯ runs out.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t me¡­ a small part screamed as my body seemed to try to commit suicide as if standing up to an eldritch eninty like Nyte was a smart idea! You buy time! Try to lessen the fallout! You do not piss off the thing that can crush you like an ant!


    ¡°Better to die by choice than to be erased by innaction.¡± Nyte spoke in a slightly vicious tone ¡°Besides if by choice one could survive. One would be compensated for their services.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Seriously what is that thing!¡± Averia shouted as she struggled with the bandages ¡°That¡­ that abomination against reality!¡±


    I could feel tears on my face as Nadel shook her head ¡°You didn¡¯t abandon him.¡±


    ¡°I nearly did!¡± Averia shouted in anger at herself ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Accord I would have dropped him and ran. I would have screwed up royally a second time!¡±


    Nadel looked back down at me and said¡­


    <hr>


    Pain shot through my body as more blackened blood stained my body. Nyte¡¯s supernova flares had died out leaving a bunch of tiny white stars and two normal suns for his eyes.


    The feeling in my body had died down¡­ but I couldn¡¯t feel the jagged black hooks sinking into my skin. Whatever had happened nearly had me slip from this realm and Nyte pulled hard on my body.


    Memories flickered through my head as I now felt more ¡®whole¡¯ than I had since I left Kornea¡­ which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it cleared the fog and confusion from the unwanted false memories.


    Bad because it meant Nyte had sunk more hooks in me¡­ and these were more literal than metaphorical.


    ¡°The one the Fae Lovers call¡­ The Taker¡­ was the one who has slain you.¡± Nyte informed me in a methodical tone ¡°The Dreamer failed to hold her bubble as The Taker slipped in during her nightmare.¡±


    I held up my hand as this was important ¡°Wait? Dreamer? Taker¡­ Was Agatha Willow actually there?¡±


    Nyte just stared at me for a few moments ¡°Agatha Willow has not broken the second law. The Dreamer has merely borrowed her name. She lacks the grace of the Spire to create anything other than the fragile bubble she has crafted.¡±


    My brain struggled to realize that the person who I thought was Agatha Willow¡­ was an imposter.


    ¡°How?¡± I hissed before realizing my mistake.


    Nyte simply grinned as his teeth were made out of countless stars. He had me hooked as I needed to know what he had¡­ and that gave him leverage over me.


    ¡°The city fears Agatha and they dream of what she might be should she return¡­ The Dreamer only brought the dream of what they expected.¡± Nyte tauntingly replied giving me just enough information to want more¡­ but not enough to answer any questions ¡°The Taker slipped into the dream when she failed to maintain hold of it¡­ Agatha Willow wouldn¡¯t have lost her grip.¡±


    My mind was still busy trying to go over the information as something cold pressed itself against my skin, but I didn¡¯t care. Someone played me for a fool¡­ they used a trick to pretend they were a lot more dangerous than what they really were.


    Salt and Ash¡­ the supernatural grace, unlimited power, I was fighting a damn illusion the entire time until someone slipped in and popped the bubble!


    ¡°Fae Lovers can¡¯t be trusted.¡± Nyte whispered against my ears ¡°They lie, cheat, and bend the meaning of an agreement as far as possible. They twist the letter of a Pact until it no longer resembles it.¡±


    I could feel Nyte¡¯s anger slipping in¡­ the eldritch was doing something as I could feel the fog of my mind dissipate. Memories started returning as I started to realize the mistakes the person had made.


    The cheesy vampires, failing to get the right Heir as her accomplice, or even getting the number of people wrong¡­ failing to realize that I was one of the freaking Heirs when I sat in a car full of them!


    ¡°Your business negotiations with the city have been fulfilled.¡± Nyte reminded me ¡°The contracts and ownership of the lump of dirt had been stolen by The Dreamer since you failed to uphold your challenge due to The Taker gutting you.¡±


    Anger flowed through my body as Nyte brought the memories of the Imposter doing her little speeches¡­ as I realized that her ¡®dream show¡¯ was an attempt to con me. That she had already made a second attempt without even bothering to state the terms of the challenge!


    ¡°She tried to cheat the dance of three.¡± He whispered ¡°The Dreamer stole the orb. The Taker stole the rights. The Council no longer has a need to inquire about your services, but the Spire¡­ my office doors are open.¡±


    My mouth opened as I was about to say ¡®yes¡¯ as it would be simple. Just let Nyte offer me a bit of power to thoroughly exterminate the little pest before pulling back on the reins. It would be easy as we¡¯d both get a feeling for how much of his power could be safely pumped through me.


    I could work on terms to make the process more efficient while Nyte picked out the targets as his Reaniamtors ensured that I wouldn¡¯t be torn apart by eldritch powers. Anyone who broke the Laws would die and nobody left alive would be trying to kill me...


    Yet something held me back from accepting the agreement.


    ¡°You have made similar transactions and services with Necera, Para¡¯dax, and the outsider supplier who has extended her unwanted contract with my former supplier.¡± Nyte spoke in mild reluctance ¡°Payment for services rendered would be¡­ tons. Tons of ink. Tons of money. Lots of various items humans find enjoyable.¡±


    The words became less concise. The connection he had that allowed him to figure out exactly what to say seemed to have been chipped at. There was an almost low audible growl from around me as someone was trying to interfere.


    <hr>


    Glass shattered as I could hear Mr Hawkings curse ¡°Endless Night! How did they smuggle a thrice damned bazooka into the city!¡±


    Mr Knight threw out a pair of knives ¡°They are playing by the rules¡­ no obvious magic¡­ just obvious threats.¡±


    Nadel pointed out the broken window ¡°They are blocking off that street¡­ They are trying to prevent us from reaching the church!¡±


    <hr>


    Pain torn through my body as I was once again dragged back in once again.


    ¡°And why not?¡± Nyte spoke in biting anger as he tried to reassert the connection to have an easier time convincing me  ¡°Akara was a threat. Necera made an offer. You made a bet. The Fae Lovers are a problem. I¡¯m making an offer. You should take the Pact!¡±


    ¡°I made a bet!¡± I snapped ¡°A stupid one at that!¡±


    ¡°So why not make one with me?¡± Nyte asked out loud ¡°Set the rules. Set the guidelines. We can even mark down a prize if you win the bet! You know you can trust my word. It is one of my biggest selling points after all!¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    My head started to ache as he started loosening his grip. The surge of unwanted memories started to assault my head. It grew harder to think as the false memories recoiled at Nyte¡¯s mere presence.


    ¡°You can feel it? How they gnaw away at you?¡± Nyte spoke in a bitter filled tone as hatred bit into his voice ¡°I will call off my attempts to obtain your services if you tell me your real name. If you tell me which state you were born in.¡±


    I blinked as I could feel him offering out the Pact. A simple bet of his own against a simple question.


    Nyte continued to lay it all out¡°There will be no retributions, no calls, no threats from me or my underlings to you or this city even. So long as you say which state you were born in¡­ or how about the nation? Telling me what nation you were born in would also suffice.¡±


    I opened my mouth and tried to say it, but¡­ no words came out of my mouth. My mind struggled to remember as¡­ it was¡­ No it wasn¡¯t Lynch. It was a stupid name. Nation was easy as It was¡­ that one¡­ the one with the¡­ the thingy...


    ¡°You were driving there. You already had the location mapped out. You avoided which city, but kept the state known.¡± Nyte spoke as my own failing memories haunted me more than his voice ¡°It is eating up inside of you. Slowly picking apart each memory¡­ each event that made you who you are.¡±


    Fear gripped my heart as I struggled to remember. My name should have been obvious. I mean¡­ it was my name. My name started with¡­ it had a Q¡­ no that was one of my fake names. As the Nation started with a¡­ was it a Z?


    The grip tightened around my shoulders as the voice whispered in my ears ¡°If a man is made from the sum of his experiences then what happens if those experiences are erased?¡±


    Nyte simply let go as he let the surge of False Memories try to consume me. My mind struggled to fight them off as they started picking at my very being. A false mother trying to teach me. Conflicts of memory where I knew nothing about magic after leaving Willow¡¯s Hill¡­ despite never being born in finding out that magic was real.


    Each memory fought each other as it became harder to keep track of it all. Nyte wasn¡¯t trying to interfere, but simply allowed me to realize how many Pacts I had bound myself to in order to keep the blasted things at bay¡­ and yet they were still managing to slip through the cracks.


    The night blue tendrils rested on my shoulder as if it was a friend trying to comfort me ¡°We could even give you help. I could allow safe passage for your friends. They could come¡­ try and stop me. Save as many innocent people as possible.¡±


    The head tilted a little ¡°That would be better wouldn¡¯t it? Better to risk taking a chance and relying on your real friends than never being able to remember them? That a small shot at success if infinitely better than having your mind slowly devoured by this curse?¡±


    Nyte spoke in both a mocking and comforting tone. It was trying to convince me to take up the Pact¡­ make a sort of ¡®Bet¡¯ like I had against Necera. Nyte seemed to have even approved of me trying to find some way to challenge him or to settle it all down on some insane bet or coin toss.


    Because it would be fair¡­ because it would give him a large enough chance to do whatever he wanted.


    And I would be safe.


    <hr>


    I opened my eyes as pained breathing came out of my lungs. Gun shots could be heard as I could hear them cursing.


    Nadel looked out the broken window as a thin line of blood dripped from her forehead ¡°I told you! They are trying to prevent us from reaching the church! We need to go there!¡±


    Averia kept her hands pressed on my chest as I could feel her trying to pour as much magic as possible ¡°You''re not allowed to die. You still owe me that date, remember!¡±


    Tears fell from her eyes as Nadel cursed trying to use her staff to grab something...


    <hr>


    ¡°No.¡± I spoke out loud and even surprised myself.


    Nyte froze, unsure of what to say. More of his body pressed up against my skin trying to shove out all of the unwanted memories trying to mess with my mind, but I could feel anger from his reaction.


    ¡°Think again. Clearly.¡± Nyte repeated in a rasping bitter tone ¡°These false memories are clouding your mind. Affecting your judgement and robbing you of your choice! Just take a few moments to breathe and think about my offer with a clear mind!¡±


    Anyone else would have called Nyte a fool for doing so, but even he operated on certain rules. Buying more time was the smart move¡­ not saying anything and hoping that whatever the people outside were doing was going to work.


    But I was human and I was emotional.


    ¡°What threat do they have to cause you harm?¡± I snapped ¡°Why not tell them to pull over? To bargain? To trade?¡±


    My thoughts became clearer, but not to the degree that Nyte had wanted. He didn¡¯t understand humans completely as he still thought that the false memories were the issue¡­ instead of me.


    ¡°They bargained with the Fae.¡± Nyte spoke in a clear cut tone ¡°So they burn.¡±


    I took a deep breath as I tried to sort out my own confused feelings from the better words racing to the tip of my tongue. You couldn¡¯t shout at an eldritch being of his power¡­ especially if you wanted to live. Nyte preferred contracts, agreements, understandings¡­ and deals.


    ¡°Nadel promised to help me even before these unwanted memories started interfering.¡± I muttered against the dull ache in the back of my head ¡°Averia is trying to do better¡­ she knows that I¡¯m not Kravos¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    I took another deep breath as I tried to fight through the pain ¡°She was willing to stand up and take my place when something obviously bad happened to me. She hasn¡¯t tried pulling any ¡®Fae Trickery¡¯ as she has been honest about her intentions.¡±


    Nyte didn¡¯t attack me or lash out in anger. Oh there was a bitter simmering rage that he was holding back, but he was listening¡­ this was a contract, negotiations¡­ trying to set out ground rules.


    ¡°Mr Hawkings? Well he has a family with no outside support.¡± I spoke unsure if that was true ¡°He is trying to keep his family safe. Agatha Willow kidnapped people. Your people kicked down doors and shot people. He wants this over to keep his family safe.¡±


    The pressure died down.


    ¡°And the last one?¡± Nyte almost whispered.


    I shrugged ¡°No clue. I have no idea because I haven¡¯t talked to him before he thought that Agatha Willow might steal my body and try her tricks again. So it¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    I will admit it wasn¡¯t the most satisfying line to use to convince an eldritch entity to stop hunting everyone inside the car¡­ but it was better than nothing.


    All that was left was to finish the opening speech¡­ and then try making a Pact. He wouldn¡¯t stop and if his people captured me¡­ then I would be left trying to set up terms until Nyte found a second way into the city.


    Holding out my hand I looked up at his face ¡°You wish to make a Pact? A bargain¡­ how about I work as a negotiator and let you try working out an agreement with them?¡±


    It was stupid¡­ foolish¡­ and slightly sucidial.


    A better person would have found a better solution¡­ but I was just a red shirt who managed to keep himself from getting killed.


    ¡°Redemption is one of those leading tenets after all...¡± I spoke trying to sound a lot more confident than I actually was ¡°And it would be easier to narrow down the search grid. Especially since the Fae haven¡¯t actually bargained with anyone for the last sixty or so years.¡±


    There was a long pause as Nyte could always reject my offer. I didn¡¯t even know the Fae existed and Nyte seemed to have a personal grudge considering he was planning on killing everyone in the car because they might have bargained with the Fae.


    ¡°Ah¡­ emotional obligation to the city is denying your services.¡± Nyte spoke slightly disappointed


    I bit my lip ¡°Also rules¡­ I promised not to kill everyone in exchange for them not trying to kill me. If the ruling officials are okay with me being used as a Vessel for the duration of your services for the¡­ cleansing the heretical and unwanted elements within the city. Then I will accept their judgement call.¡±


    The eyes flared as Nyte wore a grin that would have put the Grinch to shame. I felt him grabbing my hand and the burning power course through my body. It was one heck of a bet¡­ the idea that the city wouldn¡¯t sell itself out¡­ and Nyte took up the challenge.


    ¡°They are Fae Lovers.¡± Nyte spoke in a sadistically taunting tone ¡°It will be all the sweeter when I have them sign their own death warrant.¡±


    <hr>


    I gasped for air as I could hear panicked shouting. Something large was dangling over my body before it was shoved into a jar by magic. My own body was practically bleeding ink for goodness sake!


    The shard of Nyte was sealed shut as the dancing starlight turned into a crude image of an eye¡­ before a chester the cat grin as I could feel Nyte successfully seal the glass jar thinking she was trapping the shard instead of letting her capture him.


    Nyte was inside the city.


    A shard of an eldritch monster was inside the city and ready to take up my challenge.


    Something cold was pressed up against my side as I could feel someone holding my hand. Averia stared at me with bloodshot eyes. Her expression was mixed between fear and joy¡­ though mostly exhausted.


    Nadel coughed as somebody handed her a color liquid that she drank¡­ she looked as if she had gone a few days without rest. There were shadows underneath her eyes and her breathing was a bit harsh.


    Mr Hawkings on the other hand looked mostly okay¡­ just talking to his wife on his cellphone while Mr Knight sat in a nearby chair still wearing his armor though he had started turning anything large and made out of metal into barricades to seal up the windows.


    ¡°How much did I miss?¡± I asked as my throat felt raw.


    Nadel stared at me in shock and surprise ¡°Uh¡­ a lot¡­ and not much¡­ it¡¯s¡­ complicated.¡±


    She glanced at the jar as I could feel Nyte trying to adjust to the new measures of his container¡­ I saw the ink stained bits of his limbs moving about trying to improve the glass jar to allow him an easier time communicating with us.


    It was his temporary vessel for now¡­ a ¡®dwarf in a jar¡¯ so to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated.¡± I replied as they stared at me ¡°Everyone¡­ Nyte¡­¡± I motioned towards the jar ¡°Nyte¡­ everyone here who probably doesn¡¯t want the city to turn to ash.¡±


    Mr Knight pulled out his sword as there was an immediate level of urgency as they stared at the shard. I held up a hand as they stared at me both in fear and unease.


    ¡°I have agreed to help set up¡­ talks with the council.¡± I informed them all ¡°He gets to say his piece to everyone. All you have to do is not agree to let him go around the city. In exchange all of his¡­ employees will not attack, harm, or hinder any of you until twenty four hours after the business deal is over.¡±


    As soon as I finished that line everyone could hear the cars pulling away. There was a look of disbelief as more people came into view. Panicked people wearing regular clothing¡­ people wearing robes¡­ and a priest.


    I realized we were inside a church¡­ one of the very few buildings most people from Kornea wouldn¡¯t attack. Half of them would be due to fear of god and religion¡­ the other half from Crusaders who would most certainly take offense.


    Still the real reason why they had left instead of setting up camp and shouting demands was because Nyte had informed them of the Pact. So long as they didn¡¯t break the spirit of the agreement then he could try convincing the city to doom itself.


    If they broke the Pact¡­ I rubbed my neck not even wanting to think about the dire consequences it could have. The bare minimum would involve more eldritch beings getting involved and Nyte was already too much for me to deal with.


    Mr Hawkings closed his cell phone and looked at me with unease ¡°So¡­ this is Nyte? The¡­ thing that had been threatening our city?¡±


    ¡°Just a shard.¡± I informed everyone ¡°They take offense to those breaking the Second Law¡­ and¡­¡± I took a deep breath ¡°I convinced him to speak with you all. To¡­ bargain for his access to the city.¡±


    Averia took one long hard look at me as I fully expected her to be angry at me. In fact I was expecting a small mob of people to start shouting or demanding answers to why I would do such a foolish¡­


    ¡°You tried to limit casualties.¡± The Half-elf spoke in a tired tone ¡°He gets to see if anyone ¡®broke a law¡¯ and if we haven¡¯t¡­ we are safe if he actually managed to convince everyone to let him run free?¡±


    Now a few looks of relief fell across their eyes. While it wasn¡¯t ideal¡­ it meant that some of them could avoid the chopping block¡­ which is why Nyte¡¯s cartoonish smile worried me. Those who obviously were going on the chopping block would refuse of course.


    Those who were safe¡­ those who could be promised ¡®benefits¡¯ should the vote swing his way?


    ¡°Go by Spire rules¡­ Agreement by spirit of the contract as¡­¡± I gulped glancing at the jar ¡°He¡¯s old enough to know why the Eldritch have a grudge with the Fae.¡±


    Everything seemed to settle as much as I could hope for. Nobody was screaming in anger, trying to kill me, or running out of the building and trying to find the closest airport to flee the country.


    All that was left was the dull dread of having to talk to an eldritch being and let it not convince you that it was a good idea to let it run amok within their city. Oh it sounded simple¡­ but again¡­ the sheer confidence and ease Nyte had actually accepted the deal made me worry.


    Taking a look at my own wounds I tried not to flinch at the rather large amount of black stained bandages that they had gone through. My own body ached not wanting to get up¡­ but they had a wheelchair ready incase I wasn¡¯t able to walk on my own two feet.


    After a slight humiliating assistance in dumping my groaning body into the wheelchair I prepared to deal with the bad news. Since after all¡­ I practically got gutted without a second notice¡­ again.


    They wheeled me out of the room and into a small office before Mr Hawkings cleared his throat ¡°Good news is that things¡­ could have gone worse.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t good¡­¡± I muttered as I could feel their gazes fall upon me ¡°I lost the duel didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated.¡± Averia slowly replied ¡°Technically the duel was with Agatha. The rules had been defined, but¡­ the thing masquerading as an Heir¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Agatha.¡± I cut in keeping hold of the memory ¡°Nyte might have bargained with her before, but we have an imposter pretending to be her. The second heir? That one was¡­ The Taker. Apparently she slipped in when the imposter messed up.¡±


    That caught everyone''s attention before I could hear Mr Knight swearing in what sounded like Gaelic¡­ or something close to it. They went in trying to bargain with Agatha Willow¡­ just to realize they had been conned.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter¡­ It was an invald fight.¡± The knight practically swore ¡°False pretense, third parties interfering¡­¡±


    ¡°And the ¡®imposter¡¯ stealing the orb while the¡­¡± Mr Hawkings stared at me ¡°Are you sure that¡­ that¡­ thing is a real heir?¡±


    I nodded my head ¡°Nyte practically dangled it in front of my eyes. He wanted me to bargain for it in exchange for his services.¡±


    I¡¯ll admit that I still felt infuriated at being conned¡­ it was Fae trickery as I didn¡¯t know any magic that did¡­ somehow turning a dream like illusion into a reality. It sounded like fairy book nonsense, but¡­ this city apparently ran on it.


    ¡°Good news then¡­¡± Mr Hawkings muttered ¡°We are not fighting a demon¡­ just another heir turning a mass of ectoplasm into a solid nightmare. The problem is that we still don¡¯t know how that witch did it or who she is!¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± I bit my lip ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated.¡± Mr Hawkings replied ¡°In general the¡­ The Taker has managed to steal the right to the hill even if her actions have caused a Fisher King effect. I wouldn¡¯t advise living in the house even if she wasn¡¯t trying to kill you.¡±


    I nodded my head as that sounded bad. Still wasn¡¯t the full fallout from this botched operation.


    Averia dug into her bag before pulling out the magical rock ¡°Aga¡­ The imposter stole the Orb and we stole the Witch¡¯s Legacy. So long as that demon doesn¡¯t get the orb¡­ we might have pulled out ahead.¡±


    I shook my head ¡°We lost the orb and the hill¡­ how is this a good thing?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t¡­ but we can set out people to ensure nobody sets foot into the Willow Estate.¡± Mr Knight spoke in a bitter tone ¡°If The Taker tries to solidify her claim we can, and will attack her in mass. Without her solidifying the claim the ownership is meaningless.¡±


    Small mercies then as the Council would be out for blood¡­ and unlike me or Averia¡­ they wouldn¡¯t care what would happen to this heir as they could try pulling out the rest of their curses or ¡®Death to Agatha¡¯ magical contracts to force her to sign.


    Not exactly the best solution¡­ but no immediate fallout that threatened to kill us all.


    ¡°The Imposter¡­ whatever that cursed orb is linked to isn¡¯t happy.¡± Averia slowly replied ¡°She lost her connection, face, and one of the Witch¡¯s Legacy¡­ So she won¡¯t be as much of a threat as the demon until one of them kills the other.¡±


    I blinked as something didn¡¯t make sense ¡°Why would they be after one another instead of going after me¡­ or the other Witch Legacy things?¡±


    The Half-elf chuckled ¡°Because if she wasn¡¯t Agatha she doesn¡¯t know where the others are¡­ and the demon¡­ We can¡¯t let it grab that cursed orb again.¡±


    Her hands shivered as everyone looked uneasy. Metal grinded against metal from the knight as I could almost swear his knuckles were getting white underneath the armor. Mr Hawkings just looked ill¡­ he kept trying to stare at anything to avoid remembering what had happened.


    Nadel on the other hand had simply fallen asleep on a couch as she was simply too exhausted to care.


    Mr Hawkings coughed trying to get back on track ¡°The orb is far more dangerous than we had expected. Honestly I¡¯m willing to see if we could charter a helicopter ride to the nearest volcano if you get it back.¡±


    Now this was a major change as before they viewed it as a dangerous magical artifact. One they didn¡¯t understand as there was a bit of unease¡­ but nothing that made them want to immediately toss it into the fires of Mount Doom.


    ¡°How bad was it?¡± I asked as they all looked at me uneasily ¡°If I know what it is¡­ then¡­ I might be able to make some sort of protection against it.¡±


    There was a heavy sigh as the Knight stepped forward. His body was tense as he seemed to be struggling to admit that he needed¡­ no wanted help against whatever had happened to him. That he would have to admit that they had no protection against whatever struck them.


    ¡°She tried to erase us from existence.¡± He spoke in self-loathing and disdain for himself ¡°We¡­ we were helpless. It felt like she was just trying to will us into non-existence until the imposter stole it from that¡­ The Taker.¡±


    He shook his head ¡°We grabbed your body and ran. We ran as the two of them were left trying to kill one another before¡­ before the outsiders came. They made their orders very clear.¡±


    ¡°Kill them all. Reclaim the Magician of Red.¡± Averia spoke in a bitter tone ¡°The sanctity of the duel was betrayed. The one who broke it escaped. As we hid inside a church to avoid the cultist who managed to keep to the letter of the masquerade while practically breaking the law.¡±


    ¡°We were outplayed by all of them.¡± Mr Hawkings admitted in annoyance ¡°Every single damn one of them¡­ because we thought it would be easy to just sit back and watch two heirs fight one another¡­ without even bothering to remember that the outsiders don¡¯t give a damn.¡±


    There was a long and heavy silence that prevented anyone from talking. I was still trying to process the knowledge, while everyone else was frustrated at their¡­ lack of everything.


    To make it all worse¡­ Agatha Willow hadn¡¯t even been involved with this. That implied that they would have really lost it all if she had come. This minor ¡®test trial¡¯ resulted in losing two dangerous magical things¡­ in exchange for a magical rock.


    A rare and powerful magical rock¡­ but it fell short to something that could draw the attention, influence, and power of eldritch monsters that wanted to reduce this city to ash.


    All the while we had ¡®The Dreamer¡¯ who was apparently one of the leftovers who failed to kill/kidnap a heir¡­ and The Taker who promptly decided to murder me and apparently also know how to use the freaking orb.


    That meant she had ties to Kornea¡­ and control of the hill.


    If she got to the hill and turned off the magical barrier then the army outside the city limits could just waltz back inside the city and finish off the remaining magical residents. Because everybody seemed to be fighting for the stupid thing as he could do crazy magical nonsense!


    I closed my eyes ¡°How long have I been out?¡±


    ¡°Less than three hours.¡± Averia spoke with a long sigh ¡°I¡­ they¡­ we managed to get you out of there. Nadel was busy trying to remove whatever¡­ that¡­ thing from you. We only managed to get it out just to find out that it stopped struggling.¡±


    A bitter pained chuckle escaped her lips ¡°That it allowed itself to be caught.¡±


    Another failure on their part. The closest thing to a win had suddenly tasted like ash realizing that the eldritch nightmare had let them win¡­ because it already won.


    ¡°Your turn¡­ how bad is it?¡± Mr Hawkings asked, keeping the fear out of his voice ¡°The¡­ deal you made with that¡­ thing? I mean we can¡¯t just toss it in an incinerator can we?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It would have the same effect as cutting off a lock of your hair and asking why you haven¡¯t died.¡± I looked down at my hands trying to figure out what to say ¡°On one hand Nyte is possibly one of the¡­  nicer entities that could have tried crossing over. He actually cares for humans and has experience making Pacts and Agreements with humanity as he actually keeps his word.¡±


    On paper he sounded good¡­ one of the better eldritch entities to bargain with ¡°The problem is that he tends to attract those with¡­ less moral restraints.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ Letting someone try to erase everyone from existence.¡± The Knight spoke in a bitter tone ¡°We all felt that unholy power being granted to her. Tell me I¡¯m wrong!¡±


    I could hear the anger in his voice¡­ and the twisted hope. The faint twisted hope that it was the orb that had nearly killed them. Because if they could simply keep the orb away from her¡­ then she couldn¡¯t do it again.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me.¡± Nyte wasn¡¯t the only dangerous entity lurking out there ¡°The real question is what are you going to do with Nyte¡¯s offer.¡±¡±


    ¡°I mean it should be easy.¡± Averia spoke with a shake of her head ¡°Just refuse. Hear the demon out and just say no.¡±


    ¡°First of all he isn¡¯t a demon. Holy water isn¡¯t going to cut it.¡± I muttered almost feeling offended by that remark.


    Yes I wasn¡¯t born in Kornea, but I still sort of felt a kind of¡­ nationalistic pride towards it. Having someone simply write off the non-human residents as ¡®demons¡¯ was still kind of insulting.


    Letting the minor insult pass by I tried to regain my composure ¡°Second of all he¡­ he has trouble communicating with people. When he leaves long pauses in his sentences then it''s a good sign as he is having trouble trying to adapt to talking to you.¡±


    Nyte was kind of a static being¡­ which was why he tended to invest so heavily in humanity. They provided the insight and perspective needed to allow him to adapt more quickly. He in return gave them ¡®gifts and power¡¯ which tended to motivate them to make more long standing arrangements with him.


    The deeper you got the easier it became for him to name your exact price and know the exact limits or lines you would cross for it¡­ and what lines you wouldn¡¯t cross.


    ¡°When he isn¡¯t¡­ when his words become more precise it means he knows what to say.¡± I licked my lips trying to get the right words ¡°He can make very convincing arguments which is made worse because you know he will keep his side of the bargain.¡±


    Kind of like making a deal with the devil only with the clause that screws you over. In some ways that was even worse because it meant people would keep returning to make new bargains.


    ¡°What can he offer?¡± Mr Hawkings spoke not willing to leave it to chance


    I shrugged ¡°Lots of stuff. Money, ink, magical artifacts¡­ power.¡± They looked a little bit confused as I tried to figure out how to explain it better ¡°He can¡¯t just ¡®magick up a golden castle¡¯ for you to live in, but he can offer tangible rewards.¡±


    Even the Eldritch followed rules. Nyte was absurdly dangerous, but it required guiding with a fair hand¡­ there were limitations to it¡­ and even his power fell short of Averia''s ability to craft a chair out of nothing.


    Yet they were still dangerous. ¡°He could offer to make you biologically immortal by preventing you from physically aging as your body adapts to diseases far faster than normal¡­ heck he could probably make you immune to any disease the moment you catch it.¡±


    Now the looks of unease were setting in as immortality was always one of those very tempting offers that people reached for in stories, but could never obtain. Funny how that seemed to be just the starting offer when it came to being like Nyte.


    ¡°He could offer to grant you power. Infuse your bones with a magical enhancer or keep a revenue of reanimators to serve you so that if you die they could bring you back to life.¡± I thought about the other offers ¡°He could offer you a chance to become his vessel¡­ I mean it''s dangerous and it has a good chance at killing you, but¡­ if you survived you¡¯d have a lot of power and he could tune your body up¡­ make you able to handle more of his power.¡±


    ¡°And why isn¡¯t he already ruling everything then?¡± Mr Hawkings spoke trying to find a flaw ¡°I mean if it really is that obvious¡­¡±


    ¡°Most things¡­ most people simply don¡¯t reach Nyte¡¯s attention. There are other beings that offer power. Some Crusaders simply go by faith and do what is right instead of bargaining for power.¡± I counted down the basic reasons ¡°Some just simply don¡¯t reach a moment to catch his attention¡­ or simply dislike the company that he keeps.¡±


    Mr Hawkings didn¡¯t seem to get it, but Knight in rusted armor made a firm nod as tonight¡¯s actions had been enough for him. It didn¡¯t matter what the other side offered as even people had their limits on what they would accept.


    A bitter chuckle escaped my lips ¡°I had signed up under Davin for research purposes since their work also intersected mine. I left despite the generous offers specifically because of their lack of work ethics and morals wasn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Something which Davin hasn¡¯t forgiven you for.¡± Averia spoke in a soft voice ¡°He sounded very insistent on capturing you.¡±


    ¡°The only one to be captured.¡± The Knight replied ¡°Everyone else listed as dead with two rounds to the head.¡±


    I closed my eyes as Akara was still after me¡­ but not with Nyte¡¯s employment anymore. That meant Davin was gunning for my head not just for my knowledge¡­ but to secure himself in the nice new open position that Akara had vacated.


    So he now had even more incentive to hunt me now. As long as he stayed outside of the city then¡­ he could be filed away as a future problem¡­ if I survived that long.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Mr Hawkings cleared his throat trying to sort out his thoughts ¡°What happens if one person agrees to this¡­ offer?¡±


    I rolled my eyes as they would be safe so long as they played by Spire Rules ¡°Not much. One person versus a council vote? Worthless. The agreement was to run it by the people running the show so unless most of you agree to nuke your own city then it is not going to happen.¡±


    The Council was still short of members and considering The Stitch Witch wanting me on the first plane out of here¡­ I was pretty sure she could bully her faction into voting No to something as dangerous as Nyte being given free access to their city.


    ¡°The price?¡± Averia spoke as she knew something was wrong. ¡°What was the price for this agreement Kravos?¡±


    I gulped as now the other shoe dropped ¡°Me¡­¡± all eyes fell on me as I shook my head ¡° I get stuck as the contractor¡­ the vessel unless someone else wants to put their neck on the line.¡±


    There were a few odd looks as they didn¡¯t understand ¡°Nyte needs a vessel to channel his power and¡­ most vessels tend to¡­ burn out. I might survive, but my goal was to limit the damage. Even if you kill me he has a few dozen people outside willing to line up and be spent until the job is done.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be as fast or efficient¡­ but it wouldn¡¯t be safer for the city either. Davin would probably step up to the plate and gladly accept the power to craft a horde of nightmares that would convince most governments to simply nuke the city just to be safe.


    Mr. Hawkings looked far more tired ¡°Okay we will need a copy of these¡­ laws and a shotgun.¡±


    ¡°Shotgun?¡± Mr Knight spoke in disbelief ¡°What are you planning brother?¡±


    The person currently in charge of the council gave the knight a cold look ¡°What else do you think? If we haven¡¯t broken any of these¡­ laws¡­ then we are safe. If someone did then we simply take them behind a shed and shoot them.¡±


    The sentence was simple. Harsh, and maybe a little bit cruel¡­ but he was looking after the safety of his city. The safety of his family¡­ if he thought the damage could be limited to acceptable levels then he¡¯d accept the deal.


    There was a rough grunt from the knight before Averia glanced at me ¡°Would that include me¡­ or¡­ any of the Fae?¡±


    I bit my lip as Nyte had planned on killing everyone within the car because they might have bargained with the Fae¡­ I mean technically he was willing to let the half-elf go free if she hadn¡¯t broken the Laws¡­ but it was one of those fine lines.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I muttered out loud ¡°Maybe? Maybe not? If you haven''t broken any laws he will not harm you even if he personally strongly dislikes you.¡±


    This was really out of my realm of knowledge as most who broke the main laws¡­ well the city kind of issued hunting parties to kill the offending party especially if they broke one of the laws closer to the top.


    Nobody had really survived long enough for anyone to guess if there was a statute of limitations since most cases didn¡¯t have the offending criminal living longer than a year.


    All eldritch services were cut off so if you died nobody would bring you back to life. Every nutjob with ties to one of the major eldritch powers would be hunting you down. If you were on the bottom rungs it was for the reward. If you were higher up and one of your underlings killed the person then you were given a personal reward by your eldritch patreon¡­ who generally gave out better rewards than the city.


    ¡°So¡­ what is the plan?¡± I asked everyone


    There was a long silence before Mr Hawkings shook his head ¡°I¡¯ll let you know in the morning. For tonight¡­ I just want to go home to my family and think about it.¡±


    Everyone slowly left the room caught up in their own thoughts. Nyte was going to be making offers to them... two lunitics were running around with deadly magical artifacts... and the army camping outside of the city suddenly became a more immediate threat.


    This day really sucked.

 CH 16 Interlude of Dreams

    The one called Amber stood in the room staring at her. The pale skin had various cuts and bruises across them making the human seem more like a necromantic corpse¡­ but their eyes carried that vindictive rage that only the living could possess.


    The smile that tore too wide across a human face. The rotting blood that slowly pooled and festered around the hole in the stomach¡­ yet Amber still stood there staring back at the half-elf.


    The eyes cast a sinister twisted malevolent gaze as they saw her stumble backwards trying to draw her sword. The chipped piece of metal had started to rust and break before she pulled it out of its sheath. Already rusted dust landed on her clothing as she could feel the burn of the rusted iron touch her flesh.


    Yet Amber still stood there ¡°What¡¯s the matter, puppet?¡±


    Averia watched as the sword disappeared in the gust of wind as all that remained was the hilt. Amber continued walking forward with the twisted knife that hungered for blood. She saw the cold sadistic look as Amber licked her lips hungry for her flesh.


    Averia called forth her magic as the floor boards had once been part of nature. They could still feel the distant call of their past as she called forth new life from the old wood. The renewal of life and nature sprang forth to protect her.


    Amber walked through the woods as they simply vanished.


    The creature calling itself Amber ignored the woods erasing it from existence and leaving a rotting mess of decay and taint in her wake. The wooden floors fell to putrid mush. The flowers that sprung to life twisted before being replaced with cold harsh lifeless iron roses with more thorns than flowers.


    The Half-elf turned and ran fearing for her life as the creature¡¯s very presence warped everything into something twisted, feral, and wrong.


    The hallways slowly turned into an endless maze as she tried to find the exit. Her mind whispered something about needing to find a red cloak, but there were no specks of red, or life, or any color within these cursed halls.


    Grey walls of concrete pressed against her from all sides. Her breathing grew harsher as the mechanical flickering of false sunlight started to die out from above¡­ as the thin layer of plastic and drywall kept the serpentine iron wires filled with venomous electricity at bay.


    Yet even now the poisonous wires slithered out of the holes that they dug and threatened to grab her, trip her, bit their electrical charge into her body before letting their iron fangs bite into her skin.


    She had to find the red cloak. It was the safe point¡­ she just had to¡­


    The blood curdling howl echoed down the hallway as she saw the monster. Amber¡¯s skin was left hanging like a jacket as the demon of old sniffed the air.


    It was shaped like a wolf that had lost all of its fur, yet everything about it was wrong. Limbs twisted in unnatural ways kept the beast standing as eyes that spawned from every area, but the face searched the area for her. She could see the stomach rip open revealing an elf consuming mouth as the black iron tainted tongue licked the floor leaving a trail of rust within its wake.


    The demon spoke in Amber¡¯s voice ¡°They left me¡­ she pushed me in front of that spear so that you could be made in my image puppet.¡±


    The half-elf turned around and ran. Her mind struggled to keep hold of itself as she was Averia Willow. The Fae Heir. Her father managed to slip out of the contract Agatha Willow had bound him to. Her mother managed to make it so that Agatha Willow could have a daughter born of her blood, but not from her denying her claim.


    Her memories started to slip as she saw a wooden puppet of herself before a crude stage. A woman with a long nose and a wart on the end laughed, making her dance as her father just stared at her dreamingly while the rest of the elves were thrown onto iron crosses and bleed to death.


    Her legs gave out when she saw the red cloak¡­ She saw the boy that she liked lying dead on the ground.


    The sound of the wolf scraping across the walls could be heard behind her.


    ¡°Toss the body behind.¡± an insidious voice whispered ¡°While it feasts on the body you can run.¡±


    Sunlight shone behind the doorway¡­ yet it was too far away. If she ran then the wolf would catch her, but¡­ there was a bend in the hallway. If she simply tossed the corpse behind it¡­ then she could flee.


    Her hands moved to pick up the corpse and tried to toss it before the wolf¡­ yet her hands didn¡¯t let go. Her mind struggled to figure out why she couldn¡¯t toss the corpse. It didn¡¯t matter. She was an elf. It was a lesser species.


    The corpse gasped in pain, but it was dead in her eyes. A few seconds? A few years? What did it matter to someone who could live for centuries and still have more to live. She couldn¡¯t die here!


    ¡°Just toss the body and be done with it.¡± The voice whispered again ¡°It¡¯s just a human. It lacks magic. Your life is more important.¡±


    ¡°Its¡­ no¡­ he¡¯s still alive.¡± Averia spoke feeling sick at trying to toss away the obviously rotting body ¡°I can¡­¡±


    The smell of rot and decay hit her as her mind struggled to understand why she was still carrying it. The wolf howled as it was getting closer while the door was so far away. If she just dropped it¡­ discarded the rotting organic lump she could be¡­


    Averia froze as these weren¡¯t her thoughts. She gripped harder onto her promise and started running.


    The wolf howled in fury as the voice screamed in Averia¡¯s own voice ¡°You¡¯re not real! Your father killed a real heir to make a puppet think it was real! You are just a cheap imitation of a real heir!¡±


    The half-elf bit her lip as demons lie. That was why everyone was paranoid about any mention of ¡®demon summoning¡¯ to restart Witch Hunts. To toss any bit of paranoia and fear into the uneducated masses so that they would kill any who had thought that the ¡®new world¡¯ would allow them to practice what should have been torched to ash ages ago!


    More than that¡­ she could hear another voice.


    Averia kept running towards the exit dragging Kravos and ignoring the smell of rot and decay. Her fingers felt the touch of bone as the corpse was reduced to a skeleton. Yet still she didn¡¯t let go as the demon howled for her bones.


    Her father appeared at the end of the tunnel holding a longbow as big as his body. There was a look of seething hatred in his eyes as the cold iron arrow strained in against the ancient bow string.


    The half-elf nearly froze in fear before he spoke in a calm tone ¡°She is my blood deceiver.¡±


    The arrow shot forth snapping past the half-elf¡¯s head before it struck soundly into the demon¡¯s body. It screamed in agony as the evil iron metal ravaged the demon¡¯s body. The twisted flesh tried to birth more limbs, more eyes, more everything, but her father simply kept firing more arrows.


    Averia stepped out into the sun as the forest surrounded her as she could feel the call of life sing around her. The cold dark tomb laid behind her until a human hand collapsed onto her leg.


    A young hagrid woman with long black hair and porcelain white skin glared at her. This was not Agatha Willow¡­ The witch of old had long hazel colored hair and a vicious pride that refused to let her scramble across the floor like a wretched insect.


    The nameless thing spoke in vile hatred as it tried to drag her back into the cage ¡°Give me your name. Your life. Give me what I was owed!¡±


    The iron sword sliced off the nameless thing¡¯s hand as something grabbed onto it. It looked like a crude parody of a human¡­ more of the crude idea of a human. Gnarled limbs, joints that were too long and angles too sharp at some joints¡­ but it felt like the demon from the tunnels only more vile if such a thing was possible.


    Her father pulled her behind her as he leveled the sword at it ¡°Begone foul beast. Take your accomplice and leave lest I try to make a permanent touch upon your bodies.¡±


    The nameless entity vanished as the demon in the tomb snarled, clawing at the empty space. Apparently they hadn¡¯t been working together, but that didn¡¯t mean it was their friend.


    The demon glared at them hissing in a guttural language ¡°The Magician of Red is mine.¡±


    ¡°What claim do you have over him?¡± Averia barked more in fury than anything else.


    Bones rested in her arms as he had died long ago¡­ so¡­ so very long ago. Why did this new demon wish to steal what little of him she had left?


    The demon tried to step out of the tomb before the grass tore into his feet. While the nameless one had flattened it trying to reach the half-elf¡­ each blade of grass now stood like razor blades cutting deep into the demon¡¯s flesh forcing it back.


    ¡°This is my domain, foul demon.¡± Her father barked once more with venom in his voice ¡°Leave now before I take offense of your presence.¡±


    ¡°I am not a demon.¡± The demon snarled¡°I am human¡­ I am Akara.¡± it backed away from the razor sharp grass ¡°And I shall have my vengeance upon the one who cursed me!¡±


    The demon suddenly lunged forth jumping over the grass as it tried to attack.


    Her father swung his sword ---


    <hr>


    Averia gasped for air as she was home. The wooden oak bed had changed a little as now the wooden floorboard from The Witch¡¯s House rested around her bed. The circles of ink flared before cooling down as her father stood by looking a little bit winded¡­ but a vindictive smile fell on his face.


    ¡°And who said we weren¡¯t allowed to adapt to the world?¡± He spoke with a hint of pride before noticing she was awake ¡°Are you okay dear?¡±


    Averia shivered as she wasn¡¯t okay. Her body nearly felt violated as she wanted to take a shower. Her empty stomach seemed to revolt trying to expel what it didn¡¯t have, but¡­ after a few calming seconds as her father just held her.


    She sighed ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m feeling better.¡±


    She didn¡¯t, but somehow saying it made things a little bit easier. The pictures by her bed filled her with mixed feelings as Kravos was much younger in those pictures¡­ less¡­ haunted.


    That prideful smile was still etched across his face as her younger self wore a two piece swimsuit. It had been a good day as she had lured him into the woods to go swimming at the lake. Oh sure the Witch of the Hill was pissed¡­ but it was one of those flirting victories she had when she was young.


    One of those small moments of peace.


    ¡°Did I¡­¡± She felt bile rise in her mouth.


    ¡°He is still alive.¡± Her father reassured her ¡°He chose to sleep at the church or with the¡­ imp¡¯s protections.¡±


    ¡°Gremlin.¡± Averia quickly replied ¡°The priest doesn¡¯t think he¡¯s a demon and the imp gets pissed off when you call him a Gremlin. He even does the whole battery sucking thing.¡±


    Her father chuckled as the half-elf stared at the floorboards now remembering what her father had done. When the House on the Hill was lost¡­ he had every Fae nearby salvage everything they could from the house and even pried loose the floorboards.


    The creature that had claimed to be Amber had taken possession of the house and the property as the once old estate slowly turned¡­ wrong.


    Grass turned to rotten mush. Floorboards seemed to decay as if decades had passed by instead of seconds. The very glass seemed to be ravaged by the winds of time as¡­ the place looked condemned. As if humanity had let it fall to ruin in hopes that time would destroy it so that they wouldn¡¯t have to walk across the desecrated grounds.


    Like an insane asylum or perhaps some building where a vile evil so sickening everyone tried to forget it in hopes that the mere memory wouldn¡¯t taint their soul.


    ¡°The Fisher King effect.¡± Her father spoke as he knew what she was going to say ¡°The¡­ thing that stole the claim of the hill is wrong. If I had known something like that might have been lurking nearby¡­¡±


    ¡°They talked about renting out a helicopter to toss that stupid orb into a volcano.¡± She spoke with a soft forced chuckle ¡°Lord of the Rings style evil.¡±


    A bitter chuckle¡­ but one they both made because despite the lie¡­ it actually did make them feel better. The fear lingering from the dreams had slowly started to fade, but she could still almost feel the tainted touch of that demon trying to do something to her.


    ¡°The false Agatha tried to slip in. Her grasp has started to weaken with the loss of the Witch¡¯s Legacy.¡± Her father informed her ¡°She tried to make an attempt on your life tonight.¡±


    ¡°And the demon?¡± Averia spoke in a soft whisper ¡°How did it get in?¡±


    There was a long pause as now they had the demon¡¯s name. It claimed it wasn¡¯t a demon, but its mere presence was wrong. How it touched the realm of the fae and even the very grass was repelled by its very presence.


    Yes, the outsiders were strange¡­ they used magic that was forgien and at odds with everything she had been taught about magic. Yet Kravos had taught her how it operated and while it was confusing¡­ it was still magic.


    Just a more cold or¡­ sterilized version of magic. That was what people talked about when making computers right?


    The demon¡¯s touch lacked life, or the cold touch¡­ it was just¡­ rotten.


    Her father grimaced ¡°It was always there. When the False Agatha slipped in, the demon just laid lurking in the shadows. It didn¡¯t interfere as it planned on letting the first intruder weaken you before finishing you both off.¡±


    His wooden staff tapped the floorboards pried from the house ¡°Kravos little¡­ sterilized wards¡­ they made sure they wouldn¡¯t leave unharmed. Though from how easy it was to reassemble it is a safe bet to assume that those from the Spire are a lot more familiar with attacks in their sleep.¡±


    Averia nodded her head as the demon from her dreams didn¡¯t nearly have the same control as the one who originally haunted her dreams¡­ but in some ways he was worse. Once the veil of the nightmare had been pulled off the False Agatha lost her power.


    Her presence had weakened and thus her magic failed. The demon on the other hand lacked a presence and was only repelled because the very realm itself tore into him¡­ and still her father had to step in.


    ¡°Still he¡¯s okay? Kravos Lynch is alive?¡± Averia asked once again ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mess up?¡±


    Her father simply hugged her as the old contract she had once written up laid on the nearby dresser. She had first kept it thinking that any day he would come back¡­ then she kept it in fear that he wouldn¡¯t¡­ and now she kept it as a reminder of what her rash actions had cost her.


    Kravos had changed. The cost of his magic had been the price of his memories¡­ his past. Though now it seemed like the past he tried to avoid refused to be forgotten. Still¡­ she took a deep breath as this time she¡¯d do better.


    ¡°You won¡¯t do better.¡± the acidic voice of the demon whispered in her ears ¡°You aren¡¯t even real.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Averia closed her eyes trying to block out the fleeting voice as even the fake Agatha had the descent to leave when her scheme was uncovered. Still the demon¡¯s tainted words tried to dig in and haunt her waking mind.


    The image of Amber rested in her mind as the witch whispered ¡°You were never in the car when he convinced us all to flee. The real heirs were in the car¡­ and you were never there.¡±


    <hr>


    Scarlet was left lying in the corner of the room¡­ or was it Rose. The young woman tried to remember as her thoughts had been a bit of a blur. She could remember getting into the car and leaving someone behind.


    There was shouting, crying, complaining, and¡­ the rest stop.


    Something about needing gas.


    The vampires stared at her as she had been left cuffed to the radiator. The needle in her arm kept dripping something from the bag that made her thoughts all¡­ fuzzy. Not that the vampires weren¡¯t fuzzy either. Lots of fuzzy spots that blurred their bodies.


    One of the fuzzies hissed ¡°I thought that we were joining the winning side.¡±


    Large armored vampire glared at him ¡°Once the witch claims the hill we will win. A city in which vampires can no longer be harmed by the sun¡­ no matter which infantile court they had been spawned from.¡±


    He unsheathed one of his swords ¡°Or is that not good enough of a cause for you to fight for?¡±


    The fuzzy kept his mouth shut as he stared at the sword¡­ the vampires didn¡¯t bleed red as¡­ oh right. She said her name was Red as the step-sibling person had given her the wand thingy¡­ it was a nice thingy.


    Her memories blurred a little after the gas station as it was getting dark. Girl in the blue dress said keep driving. Sleep in back as they keep driving for a good long while. Girl in brown says sleep¡­ will be safe since they left the guy behind.


    Girl in green agreed with the brown dress saying they were safe now. Memories of them thinking that they knew magic had started to come in. Red chuckled as they didn¡¯t know magic. They didn¡¯t really know what they were doing.


    Creepy Ghost Witch knew more than them and Guy knew nothing¡­ but even he knew that they should have kept driving and he didn¡¯t even know magic!


    Fuzzy grumbled as he glanced out the window ¡°Grab a Heir they say. Should be easy now that we have a Witch¡¯s Legacy¡­ So how come we are hiding out in a dump while they are laughing it up?¡±


    The vampire missing half his face nodded his head ¡°Demons¡­ just nonsense made to scare people until wizards took control over keeping magic a secret in America.¡± Fuzzy snorted, but you could hear the bitter tone ¡°I¡¯d love to see what our esteemed elder would call what ate half of our pack.¡±


    The cold feeling started to overtake her as Red tried to struggle. It was the same cold feeling she felt when there was a knock on the door at the motel room. When the things attacked bursting into the room.


    Brown dress and Green dress both ran to the car. The elf thing went after them only for brown dress to pull out a gun and shoot green in the leg. Lots of cursing as the brown dress fled with the car leaving them to die.


    Blue dress ran and did¡­ magic thingy.


    Nobody had noticed she had stolen magical supplies and did some sort of¡­ magic¡­ door thing to escape. So that left the red dress trying to prevent anyone else from grabbing her.


    The memories grew fuzzy as she was either the one capturing red dress and doing¡­ something to her¡­ or she was the one wearing the red dress and trying to keep something from attacking her.


    The memories were never very clear during that point, but she remembered the vampires breaking in and killing anyone left alive. She remembered trying to set the entire motel on fire thinking that the flames would be easier to deal with than the vampires.


    Sadly for her not all of the vampires had been repelled by the flames.


    The armored one ignored the flames and fire she threw at it before it grabbed her by the throat.


    Red couldn¡¯t remember it all, but she remembered cursing and trying to burn everything down around her. Vampire simply smiled and got her hair color wrong¡­ got¡­ everything wrong, but¡­ her hair wasn¡¯t red before the fight¡­ before the¡­ cold thing got her.


    The cold thing filled her body, robbing Red of her body before it pulled out the needle and thing that made her thoughts become slow and loopy. Her mind struggled to scream and rebel against the Not-Her as it stole her body once again.


    Not-Her hissed in pain rubbing Red¡¯s right arm ¡°Curse elves, iron and symmetry magic.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t feel any pain, yet Not-Her clearly felt a ton of pain as she practically cradled the arm as if somebody had broken her wrist.


    Armored vampire looked at her in displeasure, ¡°You failed to steal the other heir¡¯s body?¡±


    Not-Her grunted trying to ignore loopy stuff in Red¡¯s viens as she hated Not-Her. It used her mouth and said things she didn¡¯t want. The evil thing walked around trying to dress her up like a harlet¡­ like it owned Red.


    Nobody owned Red. Mother always made it clear that nobody owned her. That if anyone tried then she would be a good girl and use lots and lots of fire on them. If only Not-Her could stand in front of her so that she could bring the warm flames around her again¡­ and burn Not-Her to ash.


    ¡°The intruder interfered again.¡± Not-Her bitterly replied ¡°It has the backing of the hill behind her¡­ behind it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should give up on you and try bargaining with this other heir considering how successful your recent endeavors have been?¡± Fuzzy spoke a bit too loudly.


    Not-Her grabbed Red¡¯s wand as Fuzzy¡¯s words made more of the vampires nod their heads. Red didn¡¯t want to be eaten by vampires especially when Not-Her was the one responsible for messing up. Red could do a better job than Not-Her.


    ¡°You think the demon wouldn¡¯t betray you all without a second thought?¡± Not-Her hissed out in anger ¡°I don¡¯t know what trick the other heir is using, but that thing can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± The armored vampire spoke as he stared at Not-Her ¡°But we were not talking about that heir¡­¡± He pointed at Red ¡°But the other one that is sitting on the bench.¡±


    She felt her blood quicken in fear when Red wanted to be happy. She hated feeling the fear that Not-Her kept sending through her body. The drugs slowly started to dissipate as she felt Not-Her try to shove her into the box again.


    Being stuck watching helplessly behind her eyes again as the Fake Agatha tried to con everyone again. She claimed she was a real heir, but she wasn¡¯t in the car¡­ she wasn¡¯t in the car because she was a fake heir. The real ones were in the car.


    It was how Red knew that the half-elf was a fake heir. It was how she knew that Dais was a real heir. He was in the car so he was real. Fake her was not in the car so she was not a real heir.


    Not-Her slammed Rose¡¯s hand against the wall ignoring the pain because she knew that it hurt Rose more than Fake-Rose.


    ¡°Are you having¡­ trouble?¡± The Armored vampire spoke


    ¡°No.¡± The liar lied ¡°Just frustrated that I¡¯m the one doing all the work while the rest of you are sitting around and doing nothing after losing my relic.¡±


    She glared at Fuzzy who now looked a lot less fuzzy and more like a burn treatment patient who lost a fight with a flamethrower. Fuzzy pulled off the same rude gesture the half-elf kept giving them when they were fooled into thinking Fake-Her was actually Agatha Willow.


    She spotted the cursed orb and hissed ¡°And kept that blasted thing covered!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Fuzzy spoke almost standing protectively over the orb ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a real heir be able to use a Witch¡¯s Legacy?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a Witch¡¯s Legacy but some thrice damned cursed artifact you idiots!¡± Fake her shouted ¡°That thing is probably what cost me my victory! I nearly got that stupid half-elf until that demon suddenly interfereaded¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t actually keep us from being afflicted by the sun¡­ can you.¡± Fuzzy spoke with more vicious conviction


    Fake-Her tried to fight down the fear as she smiled ¡°Of course I can. Agatha Willow can and with my domain I can ensure that you all can walk freely underneath the sun¡­ no restrictions.¡±


    ¡°She lies.¡± A voice whispered from the orb ¡°She can make it last, but only for a few seconds.¡±


    The vampires closer to the orb viewed her with distrust. It was almost as if they could tell that she was lying¡­ as if that whole ¡®truth curse¡¯ was still bound to her only it now informed everyone when she was lying.


    Fake-Her chuckled letting a bit more ¡®bite¡¯ into her voice ¡°I told you all¡­ with the Hill I could even grant Odin his eye back. I could make it so that anyone here can walk freely into the sun. That I can ensure that you can all feed freely and nobody would notice. That I can extend the veil¡­¡±


    ¡°But at a cost.¡± The orb whispered insidiously ¡°A cost she is unwilling to pay. Too many Pacts would be needed to be bound to the hill. Too many promises that could be bound against her¡­ she will keep her promise just long enough until you are all out into the sun¡­ before she cuts it.¡±


    The vampires glanced at the armored one who stood in front of Fake-Her pulling out his swords¡­ yet this time they didn¡¯t seem bothered by the blades. All that mattered in their eyes was taking their vengeance upon the one who had conned them.


    To rip out her throat and drink her dry before hunting down whatever host she found and continue the feeding process until she died her final death.


    ¡°I could offer you what you wish.¡± Rose found herself saying ¡°Kravos had talked about a solution to your problem within his books¡­¡±


    Fake-Her clenched her hands tightly making the fingernails bite deeply into Rose¡¯s flesh as the vampires glanced at the orb. As if it was some divine artifact that would grant their every¡­


    ¡°The other girl tells the truth.¡± A new voice whispered from the orb ¡°The only question is if the book is within the house¡­ or in his car.¡±


    The armored vampire glanced at Fake-Her as they both could feel the eyes judging her¡­ debating on which witch should be left in control of the body¡­ and if trusting Rose who had tried to kill them all would be preferable than the witch who worked with them and continued to fail in delivering on her promises.


    ¡°She tried to kill you all.¡± Fake-Her replied.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Armored vampire spoke without missing a beat ¡°Yet she can deliver what you promised without the hill¡­ You should perhaps¡­¡± Two of the vampires already slipped out of the room as the sound of barking orders and motorcycles could be heard ¡°Get some rest¡­ think on what our next plan shall be in hunting down the other heir who cheated the weave you made today.¡±


    Fake-Rose nodded her head though there was now a growing sense of unease and desperation. Especially after having failed to take hold of a new host and abandoning Rose to the vampires.


    Yet Rose couldn''t help, but smile as she whispered in Fake-Rose¡¯s mind ¡°Why didn¡¯t you try to go after Dais? Or is the one pretending to be Agatha too pathetic? That you can¡¯t impersonate what he fears?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the fake heir.¡± Fake-Rose hissed ¡°I couldn¡¯t enter his mind so he¡¯s a fake¡­¡±


    ¡°Or you aren¡¯t as skilled as you think.¡± Rose whispered with a maddening grin ¡°The vampires are starting to let that Orb lead them instead of you¡­ for all you know he could be sitting in the basement with his own crystal orb and pulling off a better con than you.¡±


    Fake-Rose dug her fingernails deeper into Rose¡¯s arm as there was a point of anger festering in her. They both knew she had been bested more than once¡­ yet Fake-Rose didn¡¯t know how many times. She could only tell that she had failed because The Taker and stolen claim over the hill.


    She had stolen the claim because Fake-Rose lost her claim¡­ and that infuriated her.


    ¡°You know they will kill you if there is a ¡®cure¡¯ inside those books.¡± Fake-Rose hissed under her breath.


    Rose tried to nod her head ¡°Yes¡­ but they will kill you first as payment for my price.¡±


    <hr>


    Rebbeca Colt shivered inside the garage as the family who had lived within this house had died. The Council was too busy cleaning the latest disaster to care about squatters¡­ and the mundanes weren¡¯t skilled enough to resist her intrusions.


    The young witch clutched the blanket tighter though she no longer knew if it was to block out the cold¡­ or if she held it like a child fearful of the nightmares that haunted her when the lights went out.


    The car rested in the garage as a good part of her wanted to ditch it as the bitter memory still clung to the slightly damaged vehicle¡­ yet her father refused. It was a car and it could still operate. So why should he be unconvinced by her unwanted emotions?


    She chuckled bitterly ¡°And to think¡­ Mom was a better parent than he was.¡±


    Her memories were still a bit of a blur¡­ a mess so to speak. It was getting harder to sort out the two and frighteningly enough she was trying to cling harder to the false memories than the real ones. Oh she kept the last name because it was her last name¡­ but¡­


    She could feel her father¡¯s presence returning as he was just down the block. Her mind tried to block him out as even Agatha Willow wasn¡¯t this cruel. She understood why the witch had viewed her father as the worst of them all.


    To everyone else the heirs were their daughters¡­ even if the mother was unwanted.


    To Pops?


    The garage door opened up revealing the nightmare that haunted her now. The creature stared at her as she could feel herself being forced to help give it shape. Her magic strained against his presence yet she couldn¡¯t resist.


    It was like an adult grabbing a ten year old¡¯s hand and then shoving it against the hot iron stove and just watching them scream as the heat burned their flesh.


    Once the pain was over she tried not to throw up from the pain, revolusion¡­ and fear. Agatha Willow could be terrifying, but there was a respect to that fear. You could still fear a lion and yet admire it as a deadly creature.


    There was nothing to admire about her father. Just what to despise.


    The man adjusted his white and golden suit looking like it came from the Spanish Inquisition. Yet even they would have more heart than the creature standing before her. They would have seen her as a sinner, a heretic, and some random person to be burned at the stake at their earliest convenience.


    Her father didn¡¯t even see her as a person.


    Just a tool to be abused and discarded.


    There was a disappointed click of his tongue as Akara spoke out loud in frustration ¡°The damn witch slipped out of my grasp. At least Dais was easier to track.¡±


    ¡°We have ownership of the hill father.¡± Rebbeca found herself saying ¡°If we solidify our claim¡­¡±


    ¡°Who gives a damn about a house on a lump of dirt!¡± Her father snarled ¡°All that matters is the Eye of the Spire! If I can get my hands back on it then I can regain everything I lost!¡±


    The witch kept her mouth shut as her father tossed aside a bag of food at her. She felt her stomach grumble as she picked up the bag and ate it. If she didn¡¯t then her father would force her to eat it and¡­ and it made her wonder if being caught by the vampires would have been a better fate.


    They should have listened to Alexandria and kept driving. Endless Night¡­ they should have simply driven back into the city and kept Dais with them. He might not know how proper magic worked¡­ but he knew enough about fighting demons to make the Council simply give him legal control of the hill.


    Her father glared at her as she realized the mistake she made. She let her thoughts slip out for her father to hear them.


    ¡°That coward is skilled at tricking others into thinking he isn¡¯t a threat.¡± The man snarled as his face started to warp ¡°He pretends to be harmless. Lets you bring him into your home¡­ you bring every sort of conceivable defense and let him know that he has lost¡­ and what does he do?¡±


    ¡°He makes you realize he¡¯s a lot smarter than you.¡± Rebbeca couldn¡¯t help, but say


    Her father¡¯s face twisted like an owl as a normal human would have had their neck snap if they did that. She could see the curse starting to take effect once again as various eyes sprouted from his body with the sole purpose of glaring at her.


    She felt him twist his vile dark magic as her body was forced to say ¡°He does something stupid.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Akara replied as his presence no longer infested her body ¡°Pushes you out a window. Calls upon an eldritch god to screw up a perfectly good ritual. I mean¡­ what kind of sane man doesn¡¯t play to win¡­ but plays to make the other side lose?¡±


    ¡®One who wants you dead.¡¯ she accidentally thought before she buckled in fear.


    Thankfully her father had noticed the traitorous thoughts as Agatha Willow didn¡¯t mind it when people insulted her or wished her dead. Akara on the other hand did take offense especially now that he had been stripped of the empire he had clawed his way to the top.


    That a nameless nobody had essentially booted him from his tower and now all those he had wronged were out for his blood now that they no longer needed to fear retribution.


    She felt his presence seep into her flesh once more as she struggled to kick it out as her father¡¯s face returned to ¡®normal¡¯ once again. He kept her alive because her magic could keep him human instead of letting the monster he was deep inside his heart be revealed to the world.


    A perfect curse to cast upon the vain monster¡­ and the only reason why she knew her mother hadn¡¯t cast it was because Agatha Willow would have skipped the curse and went straight for an execution.


    ¡°What were the restrictions on vampires again¡­¡± Her father muttered ¡°And how do they move without shattering their own limbs?¡±


    Rebbeca kept her mouth shut as she tried going over her memories again trying to divine a way out of this mess. She was a Heir of the hill and if she could survive this trial then every other foe who tried to challenge her would be a cakewalk.


    Hell¡­ she might even try marrying Kravos just to piss him off.


    That thought sadly hadn¡¯t escaped her father¡¯s notice as he turned around glaring at her, caught between feeling ill at the thought¡­ and hatred that she even dared to think such a thought near his presence.


    ¡°Try looking in any buildings that are not owned by families.¡± Rebbbeca quickly replied ¡°They can¡¯t enter homes so they would be at a motel or possibly a large warehouse¡­ motel would be the better bet as they would need someplace to safely clean and wash the heir they kidnapped since they broke the second law to force her to cooperate.¡±


    Her father kept back his wrath as he nodded to himself ¡°They would try hiding with ¡®normal people¡¯ to try stuffing as many human shields between them and the backwater idiots running this dump.¡±


    Rebbeca nodded her head as she went back to eating. It kept her more ¡®troublesome thoughts¡¯ away as she focused on what she liked about the meal and what she didn¡¯t like. The minor difference in taste buds was enough to help reassure herself.


    Even the bitter pickles that tasted awful in her mouth were a minor blessing as it reestablished herself¡­ it reinforced her presence that threatened to be crushed by her Father¡¯s demonic presence¡­ he probably was avoiding the church because the christain god might try smiting him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a demon.¡± Her father acidicly replied ¡°Demons are delusions crafted by the enlightened to fool the unenlightened into following their commands for fear of a life that is worse than the current one they are toiling through.¡±


    ¡°Could have fooled me.¡± She couldn¡¯t help, but reply ¡°The elf called you one and aren¡¯t they supposed to be fake?¡±


    It was stupid, but she had to do it even as her father punched her in the face. The pain hurt, but she could feel more like herself instead of the mindless puppet her father kept trying to make her into. She was a human, not a tool.


    ¡°Damn that witch and her curse.¡± Her father spoke wiping the blood off his hand ¡°Making me hit my own flesh and blood like that. A waste of energy.¡±


    The words rang in her head as that¡¯s all he saw her as¡­ just more flesh and blood  to twist and manipulate instead of a human being. He simply saw her as an extension of himself¡­ something more akin to the stupid clothes he wore only ¡®she¡¯ was a little more frayed and damaged.


    He kept her because he simply lacked a better ¡®suit¡¯ to wear.


    His presence seeped into her body once again forcing it to eat the rest of the food he had stolen while he went to work planning on his next attack. Anyone else would have been trying to establish their claim upon the hill and using it to force the Council to bend the knee long enough for them to collect the rest of the Witch¡¯s Legacy.


    Kravos had managed to claim one which put him in the best position¡­ only due to her father¡¯s dismissal of the Hill. What use was owning the hill if you weren¡¯t allowed to use it?


    ¡°You think that lump of dirt would be valuable enough to bargain with?¡± Her father asked


    Rebbeca clenched her teeth trying not to talk, but her father¡¯s gaze tore into her very being, forcing her to talk ¡°Not with you. They called you a demon and actually believed it.¡±


    That caused her father to frown as his power loosened around her. Maybe she really should have picked up a few lessons from the Kazult House? She had never heard of a necromancer with this level of skill over flesh and bone.


    Though he took it more like a dementated mad scientist looking at it in just terms of flesh and muscle. A cold clinical detachment that made his mind more alien than the freaking Fae.


    What kind of being thought of the brain in terms of ¡®electrical impulses¡¯ or the heart as ¡®That one organ that keeps the blood flowing¡¯ as even kids saw the heart as something more special than some random nameless meaningless organ.


    She struggled bringing the energy from her own raging heart into hand. She couldn¡¯t beat her father in a head on head fight as he could simply force her to slit her own throat. Yet his sheer insistence to believe he couldn¡¯t be wrong was his own weakness.


    She worked the small weave of magic and spoke ¡°What about Kr¡­ Dais¡¯s Car?¡± The suggestion was implanted into his head ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he have books of something he wouldn¡¯t share with the council? Something that should allow for what you want to do with that stupid orb?¡±


    She snapped his fingers as if it had been an ¡®obvious¡¯ idea. In truth she just wanted him after the car because the Council would need to give it to Dais. The Council would notice the demon and say ¡®Demon there! Kill Demon.¡¯ and hopefully she could slip away.


    She cut off that pattern of thought when she could feel her father assigning his opinion as he was trying to shove the magical suggestion away. Not because he didn¡¯t think it was a good idea¡­ but because she suggested it instead of him coming up with it.


    ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t have already thought up that plan if it was any good?¡± Her father berated her


    ¡°You could always offer to trade the Hill for the rock they have¡­ and then the witch who stole the orb will go after him again in an attempt to get the hill.¡± Rebbeca reminded him ¡°Unless you want to see if Dais can convince the local idiots to¡­ do something stupid.¡±


    He turned to stare at her as she feared that this might be the day that he finally silenced her and turned her into a puppet as his tainted presence pressed down upon her.


    The burst of fear ironically worked as now the magical suggestion took full effect as he mistook her fear for his own. His face paled in a way that made her question exactly what could Dais do that could make him so frightened?


    ¡°Oh¡­ oh he would do that and try to escape the fallout.¡± Akara snarled ¡°You keep reading those books and try to make sense of how that stupid sheild works¡­ if I can get those under Davin inside then I can convince him to work for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Rebbeca replied as she already knew how to take down the shield ¡°If I find anything inside those books then I promise to tell you right away.¡±


    Her father ignored her as he went inside the house to sleep in a bed¡­ while she was left inside the garage to study the books he had stolen. So long as he slept she could freely think without him hearing her thoughts.


    So long as he was awake and gone from the house¡­


    Only then could she trust herself to sleep.

 Ch17

    A new day rose and I was still alive. A part of me wondered if counting it as a good day that I woke up alive at this point. Then again everyone else seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed as everyone else had unwanted visitors bothering their dreams.


    Most of them by Nyte who had wanted a more¡­ personalized introduction to each of them and to figure out exactly what they wanted. Not a lot of people had been able to boot him out of their dreams or keep hidden exactly what tempted them either.


    Mr Hawkings stared at me in mild annoyance not because he had a hard time sleeping last night due to dream intrusions. No he was more annoyed at everyone else had called him trying to figure out what was going on.


    ¡°I thought he was contained.¡± He spoke glaring at the jar that had cost him a good night¡¯s rest.


    ¡°Cthulhu was contained and he still messed with people¡¯s dreams.¡± I countered ¡°Comes with part of the territory when you deal with the eldritch.¡±


    The others stared at me as I knew I wasn¡¯t a popular person. The very fact that I had ¡®lost the hill¡¯ had been left as a black mark on my record¡­ but nobody argued too loudly due to how I lost it. The very idea that an ¡®outsider¡¯ would interfere with the sanctity of a duel and practically gut me before announcing the challenge was a crime to them.


    Then again they operated by Fae contracts¡­ so getting attacked and nearly killed right before they declared a challenge probably shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise.


    ¡°You could have warned us.¡± Mr Hawkings spoke with a shake of his head ¡°Maybe we could have¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me a little more protection or prepare for the next time someone blatantly cheated?¡± I couldn¡¯t help, but snap back ¡°Sorry if I was focused more on trying to recover after having my kidneys torn out of my body and started dancing on them.¡±


    He frowned ¡°The council and everyone here refuses to accept anyone doing that¡­ even they very hill itself has blighted itself in retribution against the act.¡±


    Oh yes a real ¡®King Fisher¡¯ effect going on there. Rotting wood, dying plants, the entire thing left to rot and ruin¡­ yet still accepted nonetheless.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if you like it.¡± I muttered with an all too familiar feeling ¡°Especially if they make themselves the only pick.¡±


    Mr Hawkings didn¡¯t bother glancing at me know as the door crept open once again. I almost felt like a convict awaiting the death sentence as all the lawyers, guards, and politicians argued about which method was the most ¡®humane¡¯ and such.


    It didn¡¯t matter how they tried to phrase it because at the end of the day¡­ my odds of surviving this place weren¡¯t great. The very fact they seemed to be struggling in not letting the eldritch nuke the city really hurt my faith in them.


    The deal was simple¡­ Nyte offered them something in exchange for them voting yes. Nyte reminded them that they would still get to keep the offer even if the total vote ended in a loss. The problem was that everyone wanted something and seemed ready to argue on who got to say yes and which people had to give the honorable sacrifice of saying no¡­ for the good of the city.


    It was akin to watching an old lady toss a bunch of bread crumbs in the middle of a flock of pigeons¡­ no watching an old lady toss fresh meat to a bunch of starving lions. They were more likely to attack one another to get the food.


    And all it cost them was me playing ¡®contractor¡¯ to an eldritch entity that found business deals easier to understand than human morality. I mean he would keep his word¡­ it was just limiting the amount of damage instead of having mercs with explosives trying to take potshots at the magical community.


    Averia entered the church looking a bit more annoyed though she seemed a bit surprised at the amount of Nyte¡¯s henchmen who were actually paying their respect to the place.


    She joined me on the bench ¡°Okay not to be rude¡­ but why are they¡­ praying?¡±


    ¡°Kornea can be chaotic and some people cling to faith to keep their sanity.¡± I replied as the preacher was busy trying to keep the peace between those from the Spire and those from the city ¡°It gets a little more leverage or validity when Eldritch Entities like Nyte tend to tiptoe around the churches and give them a healthy amount of respect.¡±


    ¡°In the same way an adult is careful around a poisonous snake?¡± Mr Hawkings spoke with a shake of his head ¡°I mean that they fear the churches¡­ not that churches are dishonest or anything.¡±


    Those from the Spire stopped glaring at them as it was one of those cultural things. Some might lean towards faith while others treated churches like lifeboats¡­ you might not always need one, but it never hurt to know where one was at incase the ship sank.


    ¡°So did you have any rest last night or are you here to complain about Nyte trying to bargain with you in your sleep?¡± I asked the half-elf.


    She shook her head though I could see the bags underneath her eyes ¡°The one pretending to be Agatha Willow attacked me¡­ before the demon from last night tried attacking us both in my dreams.¡±


    Mr Hawkings flinched, but Averia just simply grinned in triumph as obviously she won. Still the Fae that entered after her still seemed a bit uneasy. They sort of smirked when those from the Spire saw them and were annoyed that God hadn¡¯t sent out divine judgement because they stepped inside a church.


    Still they were not willing to pick a fight either due to fearful respect to the church¡­ or that Nyte had forbidden anyone from his side drawing the first punch.


    ¡°So what happened?¡± I asked more for her sake than mine.


    The bags from underneath her eyes seemed to have cleared up a little as she started telling me what had happened. She was a little bit hesitant during one of the parts as she kept staring at me saying ¡®The nightmare was messing with my mind¡¯... but eventually ended with how her father was able to step in.


    As somehow Fae Realms could also extend to dream realms¡­ and they very land from the Fae Realm somehow recoiled and tried to assault the ¡®demon¡¯ who had finally given them a name.


    Akara¡­ because of course he was still trying to kill me.


    I sank my head into my hands ¡°So he threatened you after trying to kill her¡­ and is still trying to kill me. You know¡­ I thought that his curse would have given him enough trouble to keep him from finding time to try and murder me.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ that¡¯s Akara?¡± Averia spoke in utter disbelief ¡°I mean I know that you said the Gremlin is an imp, but¡­ in what universe does that unholy abomination against reality count as human?¡±


    ¡°One that had existed a few months ago.¡± I bitterly replied ¡°He wanted to try becoming an eldritch super power¡­ I just tweaked his ¡®grand ritual¡¯ a little as reality and magic can be a very uncaring mistress to those who forget to carry the two.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± The half-elf glanced at those from the Spire ¡°You cursed him so that his body looks like his own twisted heart and soul?¡±


    You know¡­ America loved to preach about having someone judged by a jury of their own peers¡­ and yet Akara¡¯s own ¡®peers¡¯ had overhead the comment, yet didn¡¯t look partially eager to step in and defend him.


    No, they pretended that they hadn¡¯t heard anything as they found so many other things to stare at that were conveniently away from us¡­ despite how she had practically shouted it loud enough for everyone to hear.


    And yet not a single person tried to deny it.


    Mr Hawkings sort of chuckled in a bitter sweet way ¡°Not even Agatha Willow had an approval rating that low.¡±


    ¡°And yet none of you can trust each other to keep their own word.¡± One of the mercs replied.


    Averia glanced at me as I sighed ¡°Even a demon would still have to abide by the spirit of a pact¡­ For some it¡¯s just a matter of benefits and rates being offered.¡±


    I knew that all too well from past experience¡­ It was one of the main reasons why I was still alive¡­ and why I really needed to have left Kornea before my problems caught up to me. Sadly some problems seemed a bit more stubborn than others.


    The door opened up again as another wizard looked slightly guilty as Mr Knight more or less dragged him away from the latest offer being presented¡­ an entire series of books that had been signed by the author.


    Mr Hawkings looked a little uneasy as he said ¡°The entire series written by Avandress The Wise?¡±


    The shard of Nyte resting in the jar simply glanced at us ¡°Of course. It would be much harder to make the sale if he had to keep referencing the other books since it is a collection instead of a single book.¡±


    I glanced at Averia as she hung her head ¡°Famous wizard and very few of his tomes still exist¡­ honestly I¡¯d try making an offer if the price wasn¡¯t so damning.¡±


    ¡°Just one vote.¡± Nyte cheerfully replied


    It sounded like such a simple and easy offer¡­ and what was worse was that you knew that he¡¯d honor it. That the books wouldn¡¯t suddenly burst into flames or have entire sections blank¡­ it wouldn¡¯t even surprise me if Nyte had offered to have the texts translated to english for free.


    That was how eldritch monsters like him were so hard to get rid of¡­ while they lacked subtly¡­ they had learned to be pretty damn convivincing. After all, it wasn¡¯t a problem¡­ so long as he didn¡¯t get the majority of votes.


    Sadly betting against human greed isn''t one of my strong suits.


    The next person walked into the room with Mr Knight being ready to remind people that he would be the person who¡¯d drag them behind a shed and shoot them if he thought too many of them had been compromised.


    Nyte may have been offering goods if they voted yes¡­ but Mr Knight was practically promising death shortly afterwards if not before¡­ if they didn¡¯t vote No.


    I motioned for one of the people from Kornea as they came over to hand me a deck of cards. The others looked a little bit confused, but there was a certain amount of respect to those being picked to be a contractor¡­ though in this case I had to wonder if it was more for respect for the dead than anything else.


    ¡°Want to play cards while waiting for the verdict?¡± I asked


    The doors to the church swung open as a cold wind seemed to blow through the building. Everyone from Kornea pulled out their guns and stared in confusion, but ready to shoot the first moment they spotted a threat walking through those doors.


    Sadly for me this only gave further credence to the danger that The Stitch Witch seemed to represent as she walked into the church as nobody else seemed to see her except the magical members from the city who were doing their best not to look at her.


    Sadly for me that option wouldn¡¯t have worked as she walked through two mercenaries including the one who handed me the deck of cards before staring at me. Now I felt a shiver down my spine as I started to wonder if the agreement we had made still covered me.


    ¡°Magician.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke with a hint of anger ¡°I see that your penchant for getting into trouble is still strong.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t as if I asked to bring an eldritch being into a church.¡± I dimly replied ¡°Besides the city council gets the final vote. So long as they vote no and agree not to nuke their own city through eldritch beings. Then we don¡¯t have to worry about everyone outside the city limits trying to break in.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    She stared at me for a few seconds before motioning to everyone else as if to say ¡®And you picked these people to vote?¡¯


    I motioned to the door ¡°That or test me luck with an eldritch power house trying to force me into a contract. His ¡®friends¡¯ were obeying the rules by using mundane weapons¡­¡±


    ¡°Rocket launchers are not ¡®mundane¡¯ weapons.¡± Averia bitterly added.


    The Stitch Witch nodded her head before grabbing hold of my shirt. That was when the fine line between paranoia and preparation kicked in as everyone from Kornea aimed their guns near me¡­ I didn¡¯t know if The Stitch Witch was bulletproof, but I¡¯d rather not have that many guns go off in my general direction.


    She glanced at the others before shaking her head in annoyance ¡°It is time to repay the debt you owe me Magician.¡±


    I glanced at Mr Hawkings looking for help ¡°I¡¯m a little bit busy Ms creepy eldritch witch who is standing in front of me.¡±


    A few guns had been lowered, but more than one person simply opted to pull out a police batton or a combat knife. The term eldritch covered many things, but a general warning like that was to inform everyone this was a viable threat.


    Mr Hawkings glanced at the room where Nyte was busy making another business deal ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it may be best for her to try and sort out her favor now rather than wait for the proceedings to finish.¡±


    Translation¡­ don¡¯t kill him, but keep him far away.


    Because I had offered myself up as the host of Nyte¡¯s little show if the Council should vote yes¡­ and if keeping me away bought them more time then I¡¯d be stuck dealing with her favor which might get me killed.


    ¡°It¡¯s times like this that I miss Kornea.¡± I muttered as The Stitch Witch practically dragged me through the building ¡°At least they were straight forward with their intentions.¡±


    Break--


    The ride wasn¡¯t fun especially when you had the local nightmare sitting with you along the way. Averia had opted to join us, but she had nearly stopped when she saw the mode of transportation The Stitch Witch had opted for.


    You might have expected something more classic like a hearse or perhaps an old time cart pulled by undead skeletons.


    To my surprise it was a black limousine. On the outside it looked expensive, but on the inside¡­ it looked as if it had survived a collision course with a halloween store and a gun shop as dozen of her little hand puppet monsters moved about trying to sort everything.


    The only questions she had asked were related to guns¡­ and it only went so far as ¡®which gun do you prefer to use¡¯ which wasn¡¯t exactly a good sign.


    When the doors opened up I was unsure if I was serving as the local translator or enforce due to the witch¡¯s odd ability of not being able to affect anyone who didn¡¯t know her name¡­ well anyone besides me apparently.


    To my surprise it was a coffee shop that had closed down for the day.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I glanced around not finding anyone ¡°Why isn¡¯t there any traffic over here?¡±


    The Stitch Witch walked towards the shop ¡°I think the official cover is a Gas Leak.¡±


    ¡°Official cover¡­¡± I asked not exactly sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing


    ¡°The one pretending to be Agatha had the vampires convince everyone here of that story¡­ or that they shouldn¡¯t go to work, but think they did and get paid for it either way.¡± She replied with a shrug ¡°It is unimportant.¡±


    ¡°No, this is very important.¡± Averia spoke going back to the limousine and started searching for weapons ¡°Where are the crossbows and wooden stakes!¡±


    ¡°It is not a problem because she made the mistake of falling asleep.¡± The Stitch Witch replied as I was led into the shop.


    To my immense horror I saw swarms of vampires somewhat sleeping in the middle of the room as a mixture of powders and chemicals littered the center of the area¡­ and my vehicle¡¯s passenger car door.


    Most people might not be able to notice if it was their car door or someone else¡¯s¡­ but the various amounts of ink covered inside the door along with some of my less than legal supplies now being littered across their bodies made me irritated.


    It had made me irritated until I recognize some of the components and slipped on my mask and shouted ¡°Masks, Breathers, air¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already dissipated.¡± Nadel spoke from inside the store ¡°Your car was by the hill when the retribution curse took effect¡­ I¡¯m not sure if they are dead or¡­ simply asleep.¡±


    I kept the mask on and crept closer as I stared at the vampires like a man would creep up on a sleeping lion. Shotgun in hand my paranoia only grew when I got close enough to take a closer look at their bodies.


    I¡¯m probably the farthest person you could get to understanding the biology of vampires¡­ but black bulging veins were probably unusual. If they were on a human the sheer size would make me think they were horribly sick, dying, or dead.


    Nadel pulled out a knife and poked one of the vampires before I could react.


    To my immense shock inky black blood bleed out like a leaky faucet as the unconscious vampire opened its eyes. It just stared off into the distance in what could best be described as a drug induced stupor.


    ¡°Ash and Salt¡­ what the heck did these things do to themselves?¡± I asked as a large part of me wanted to start gathering jars.


    The more rational part of me didn¡¯t want to dump them all in containers and bleed them of their ink¡­ but realized that these were vampires who could and would try to kill me the moment their drug induced stupor ran off.


    ¡°This was the first case we ran into. The easiest one we thought you could deal with.¡± The Stitch Witch replied ¡°They were the ones who tried to experiment with the mixture without¡­ proper understanding.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need gloves, prongs¡­ and bags. Lots of bags and jars.¡± I slowly replied, staring at some of the ingredients I didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°What are the glowing mushroom bits?¡±


    Nadel shook her head ¡°Ethran Root. Sort of a potion marker¡¯s catch all. It¡¯s generally used to help substitute for missing ingredients, kind of like Eye of Newt.¡±


    ¡°So they looked up my cookbooks and swapped ingredients.¡± I spoke feeling a little bit better and worse ¡°And they decided to swap salad oil with soy sauce or mix up Salt with powdered Ash.¡±


    If you followed the instructions then everything was fine. If you tossed some out thinking that ¡®eggs¡¯ or ¡®flour¡¯ wasn¡¯t needed to bake a cake¡­ well then you weren¡¯t baking a cake so it should come as a surprise when it didn¡¯t taste like a normal cake!


    Averia came back into the shop and noticed all of the unconscious vampires before pulling out a machete ¡°Okay we can cut off some of the leg chairs as stakes tend to be easier than trying to saw off their heads.¡±


    ¡°Bathroom would be for the best.¡± I added as I looked for containers ¡°We can harvest the blood and ash so that I can refine into ink. I¡¯ll even share a percentage depending on how much we can salvage¡­¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the problem you need to worry about.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke in mild annoyance ¡°The Heir from last night fell asleep with your cursed orb.¡±


    Now I felt a chill down my spine as the Stitch Witch opened up the back door of the coffee shop. What should have been a normal alleway with dumpsters or something had now been replaced with rainy streets and The Spire just standing off in the distance.


    Normally I preferred to avoid swearing in ways that the christan churches might get offended, but this was one of those moments that made me question my sanity.


    ¡°What in god¡¯s name did you idiots do!¡± I shouted in disbelief


    Nadel coughed as she looked back at the vampires ¡°Apparently they had been¡­ listening to the orb.¡±


    ¡°Something calling itself Necara had claimed you had cured a vampire of their weakness against sunlight.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke in a calm tone ¡°I had been watching them since none knew my name¡­ and fled when the vampires prepared to do a ritual called The Irony of Kuranes.¡±


    The name rang home as I realized what the idiots had done and that Nyte wasn¡¯t the only one who had taken an interest¡­ or offense to this city¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Congrats¡­¡± I spoke as the horror slowly grew ¡°When I woke up this morning I was afraid that Nyte might somehow convince you all to have him run loose within your city. Somehow you¡¯ve managed to do something far worse!¡±


    ¡°How bad could it be?¡± Averia spoke ¡°I mean we can¡­¡±


    ¡°Necara is the eldritch entity who has taken a perverse study in the art of flesh, dreams, and death.¡± I dimly replied as I stared at the vampires ¡°She isn¡¯t all knowing or she would have warned this patch of not mixing up ingredients¡­ but this?¡±


    I motioned towards the section of the Cold Districts or ¡®Kuranes Lane¡¯ as some idiots liked to joke.


    ¡°This is a small localized breach in reality.¡± I nearly shouted ¡°It¡¯s essentially one of those things that is considered breaking one of the major laws of Kornea!¡±


    Forget the meeting determining the fate of this city. The moment anyone from Kornea found out about this mess they would start scorched earth tactics! Salt and Ash I was half tempted to call them myself as this was cut into one of the worst districts possible!


    ¡°Fourth Law¡­ do not poke holes in reality!¡± I muttered in disbelief as I wondered why so many people seemed to take issue with this minor law.


    It was crossing the line between plausibility and insanity. The point in which sane men go insane and start taking absurd amounts of narcotic drugs or ritualistic sacrificing people thinking that their blood will please whatever heathen gods that grant them insight.


    At best they might make some sort of ¡®pocket reality¡¯ which some people believed was how Kornea started¡­ one too many idiots poking holes into the fabric of reality before their entire city/location ¡°fell¡± into Kornea.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon for normal people to take a wrong turn only to end up lost in Kornea with no idea how they got there. Just another minor ¡®hole¡¯ and another missing people¡¯s case report with no real explanation.


    ¡°Could you be more precise?¡± Averia asked


    ¡°Precise?¡± I asked in mild annoyance ¡°We have someone who didn¡¯t do any temporal nonsense and decided to set up an area where dream and reality could almost become interchangeable.¡±


    They didn¡¯t remember it all, but after nearly dying three times it was enough to make me want to call in the calvary. Oh sure they might say ¡®Witch Legacy Rock¡¯ allowed her a level of control and precision that allowed her to do it.


    Yet she had the bloody orb.


    It operated less on ¡®control and precision¡¯ and more on overwhelming firepower, a dash of insanity, and a freaking spotlight for the more dangerous eldritch elements that couldn¡¯t be solved with a well placed shotgun blast.


    It would be like saying that you wouldn¡¯t have to fight a sniper¡­ but simply a lunatic with a flamethrower in the middle of a corn maze. Technically you could say it was easier, but only from those sitting in the audience instead of the battleground.


    I pinched my nose and tried giving an example for how messed up things could get ¡°Think of it as a point where the laws of reality become fuzzy. Where sections of reality could literally be cut off from one another or somehow intersecting with each other. Illusions made reality where reality itself can fall away.¡±


    I snapped my fingers trying to make it sound less vague. ¡°You could run into people long since dead, but now only exist as shadows of a memory. You could fight things that couldn¡¯t possibly exist because the dreamer doesn¡¯t know that they couldn¡¯t exist¡­ you could run into areas where gravity itself stops working!¡±


    ¡°Sort of like the Fae Realms?¡± Nadel asked as the others seemed to slowly nod¡­


    The very fact that there could be something like this as an established recurring threat made me pray that they were horribly off¡­ otherwise I might need to rethink if nuking the city was nearly as bad as an idea that I had originally thought.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t she go?¡± Averia asked, pointing at The Stitch Witch ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    The Stitch Witch pressed her hand against the exit as there was a sound of what felt like glass grinding against a chalkboard as somehow it physically hurt just to hear it.


    ¡°I can not cross the threshold, but you have trinkets to allow you to hunt those whose blood you have marked.¡± The Stitch Witch replied before pulling out two vials of blood ¡°One is the dreamer that this realm is attached to. The other is the Heir who¡¯s connection to the Witch¡¯s Legacies and the Hill has allowed this place to continue to exist.¡±


    She motioned to the vampires ¡°You need ink for your art¡­ and they have the supplies you need. Bleed them, cook them, do whatever you wish as their lives have been made forfeit by their actions.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell the council¡­ or someone close to them?¡± I asked before glancing at the half-elf ¡°Your father did something to interfere with an attack in your sleep. Can¡¯t we ask him for help?¡±


    ¡°No. His presence is needed within the church as another¡­ guest shall be arriving their today.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke letting us know that this ¡®guest¡¯ wasn¡¯t going to be good ¡°It would be best for the Fae to stay in their spot.¡±


    ¡°To keep everyone alive¡­ or to die?¡± Averia asked, clearly distrustful of the witch.


    The Stitch Witch chuckled ¡°Does it matter? Akara seeks to end the Magician¡¯s life. Shouldn¡¯t your father repay the ¡®insult¡¯ that one has committed to you last night?¡±


    She glanced at me ¡°As for the council? They are being interrogated by Nyte. Do you think he wouldn¡¯t take notice of someone blatantly breaking the Fourth Law? That they wouldn¡¯t try to seed this area with ash and flame to ensure it is culled rather than to cut the ones upholding this realm?¡±


    ¡°She wants Akara to interfere. The Fae to intervene and for Nyte to slay him or cut the reins he has over the Heir he controls.¡± Nadel slowly added near the end ¡°As long as they are debating Akara thinks you are trying to convince them to do something ¡®stupid¡¯ and so long as Nyte isn¡¯t making any big plays¡­¡±


    ¡°They shall lose face when the Fae have proven to be more honest to their word when Nyte¡¯s former contractor attacks a church.¡± I muttered in bitter realization ¡°If they find out about it... then they would try to prevent it¡­ But if they do then Akara will still have one of the Heirs under his control.¡±


    Best case? They murder Akara for his actions getting rid of someone who wants me dead. The rest of the city hunts down the remaining heir and life moves on.


    Worst case? Akara doesn¡¯t attack the church, gets bound by the ¡®do not attack each other agreement¡¯ while the Fae focus on him trying to figure out how to kill him. The only question is if it is before the meeting has ended or after the truce ends.


    Something about his presence caused everyone within the magical community to recoil in fear and hatred¡­ which made me wonder what exactly he had done to earn this sheer level of infamy.


    Technically his heir owned the hill¡­ and the hill made my hidden stash of less than legal or immediately useful ingredients into turn an entire vampire horde into neurotic blitzed sacks of ink ready to be bleed to death.


    Vampires being turned into cattle and bleed for their blood.


    That sounded like the Fairy Tale nonsense curse you¡¯d hear from stories.


    ¡°If you succeed in this task than I may be able to have the council snip the chains off your wrist.¡± The Stitch Witch hinted ¡°You can take the orb far away from the city and you will have no reason to prolong your stay¡­ or for the Council to keep you here either.¡±


    The deal sounded great¡­ but this was Willow¡¯s Hill¡­ a cursed city named after a cursed hill where an egotistical old hag had the entire city named after her hill with a willow tree¡­ and her own name.


    Even if I had managed to survive this latest disaster then what was keeping me from getting bound to ¡®Hill Guard Duty¡¯ again since there was still a rogue heir running about?


    ¡°So who does the hill default to if the ¡®missing heir¡¯ kicks the bucket?¡± I asked while rubbing my own wrists ¡°I mean does it default to me leaving me trapped here or¡­¡±


    ¡°It would go to the Half-elf or the one who fled to your misbegotten city.¡± The Stitch Witch stated ¡°You are a male so Agatha would have you as the last pick. Averia failed her challenge on the night of the duel submitting to fear¡­ which leaves Alexandria who is lost with Kornea as the one the deed would be shifted to.¡±


    ¡°Who Mr Hawkings rallied everyone to stand against.¡± Averia spoke ¡°Leaving you as the one who ¡®defeated the eldritch¡¯ so that you can ¡®graciously¡¯ take control of the city in preparation for Alexandria¡¯s attempt to solidify her claim over the hill.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you slit both of their throats your chances might improve?¡± The Stitch Witch taunted ¡°But since I can not enter the breach I am left to ask for your aid to prevent an eldritch abomination from tearing this entire city from this plane of existence¡­ or are you too petty to aid the Magician in his task?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan¡­¡± Averia spoke through a pained hiss of frustration


    I glanced at the vampires ¡°First we kill them and make ink. Once all of the vampires are dead and I¡¯m brewing up pots I am going to want straight answers for once or I¡¯ll take the risk and let Nyte know about this breach.¡±


    The Stitch Witch glared at me ¡°The city may suffer as countless will¡­¡±


    I shouted letting her know I wasn¡¯t having any of it ¡°Perfectly acceptable losses as I¡¯m pretty sure Nyte would allow your people to round up a few vampires and have them brainwash people into leaving the area on some semi-plausible excuse while they nuke this section of the city to dust and ash.¡±


    She froze.


    I held the cell phone with my finger on the speed dial button.


    If I died Nyte would know. If I called he would know.


    This was why Akara called me insane.


    I was perfectly willing to call down eldritch chaos upon my own damn location if I thought it would improve the odds of my own survival.


    ¡°This dear granddaughter is why he is dangerous.¡± The Stitch Witch spoke in a clearly annoyed tone ¡°He would burn the world around him and laugh if it achieved him victory.¡±


    ¡°Not ash. Ruin.¡± I spoke with a smirk ¡°Far too many things are resistant to fire in my line of work.¡±